It has been about two months since the oil rig known as the Deepwater Horizon burst into a fiery explosion, killing eleven workers and severally injuring numerous others. Since that time, more than 30 million gallons of crude oil have been released into the surrounding Gulf waters. The oil has travelled hundreds of miles, reaching land on numerous coastal areas which are known to be popular tourist attractions throughout the United States.

Due to a lack of viable safety gear usage, such as masks and other personal protective equipment, there have been record numbers of flu-like symptoms prompting visits to emergency rooms. This has created almost limitless work opportunities for the myriad EMTs and paramedics on location in the Gulf. They are continuously treating workers who have become ill from both the initial spill and the clean-up efforts. Many are becoming ill from the use of chemicals used, namely dispersants.

Literally hundreds of contractors hired by BP have been spraying chemical dispersants and then retrieving debris that is soaked in oil and these same chemical dispersants. This is in addition to attempts in preventing the oil from working its way into the streams, marshes, and beaches that are so vital to the health of local eco-systems.

One city alone, Freshwater City, has more than 90 medics who were deployed to the Gulf oil spill in order to assist with the essential task of keeping the cleanup crews healthy – this entails keeping them properly hydrated, rested, and ensuring proper nutrition. The medics are also to respond to and treat any injuries that might result from the grueling and often hazardous clean-up efforts.

EMTs and Paramedics are not only working in the land based affected areas. There are many working on the ships at sea that are part of the water-based clean-up efforts, while others are currently waiting to be transported to Gulf areas where the main work crews are staging. The remainder of which are lodged on what are essentially “floating hotels”; these are being used by the oil containment crews who are actively attempting to prevent the flow of oil from reaching the Gulf coastal areas.

The working conditions that EMTs and paramedics are facing are strenuous; but the valuable experience that they can take away from working in the spill area will enhance life-long professional skills. Working and dealing with patients from any hazmat spill is building a skill set that will serve well in a continued career as an EMT or Paramedic.

In addition to the valuable experience, the pay is quite rewarding. Companies who service the federal government are currently hiring paramedic and EMT workers at competitive rates. The average wage being offered currently for an EMT-Paramedic to the Gulf coast area for treating patients is approximately $400.00 per day.

There is of course some risk involved as there will be with any job of this type, but given the use of correct safety gear, the risk of toxic levels of exposure to the workers is minimal, while the rate of compensation is remarkable.

Training and Working Conditions

If you think that EMT courses might be for you, then you might want to interview some EMT workers to see what their jobs are like on a daily basis. There are EMT workers that can be found in fire stations, hospitals, and ambulances. Interviewing each type of emergency worker can help you define which EMT career path you might want to pursue. You might also interview paramedics, which is the top level of EMT workers, as well as nurses and doctors that might have started in the medical field as an EMT.

EMT courses will train you to remain calm in intense situations when everyone around you is scared, angry, or unresponsive. This is when your emergency medical training skills are being fully tested. There will be times that you will have to face drug overdoses, psychosis, and violent friends and family members when going on a call, all of which have to be handled in a professional manner in order to keep yourself and others safe. In addition, they will teach you what to do to help people who are in all sorts or conditions, such as wounded by a gunshot, having a heart attack, and more.

You will also learn to use the different tools of the trade that you will need to have a successful EMT career. You will progressively learn more as you take more courses and advance your emergency medical training skills.

The basic level teaches you to use the basic tools such as stretchers, back boards, and stethoscopes. As you train for the intermediate level, you will learn to use a defibrillator and other vital tools of the trade. Paramedics take the most advanced training, allowing them to use some medications, start IV’s for fluids, and more. For many new emergency medical techs becoming a paramedic would be a highlight in their EMT career.

Among the emergency medical training skills you will be taught are lessons showing you how to bind up wounds, do CPR, and obtain information from the patient (when feasible) and family members. Recording this information and also what you do for the patient on the ride to the hospital is also critical for the doctors and nurses who will be treating him from that point on.

The working conditions involved in an EMT career are very strenuous in most cases, requiring a lot of physical labor and movement. You will have to bend down and kneel with the patients. You will have to lift them in order to get them onto the stretcher in most cases. You will also be out in extreme weather conditions when most people are indoors. Yet, even with all of these hardships that go with the job an EMT career is extremely satisfying and vastly rewarding. As an EMT, you will be saving lives each day, which makes the hardships seem small.

Training to Become an EMT?

Geting EMT training and becoming a licensed EMT is an exciting process for anyone. These steps are the perfect way for you to get started in one of the most fulfilling of all service oriented jobs as you launch an EMT career. When you sign up for Emergency medical technician training courses online it allows you to gain different levels of certification as you progress in your education and the career of your choice.

Many people assume that an emergency medical technician training course makes you a full-fledged paramedic, but that is certainly not the case. Your first EMT training courses are just the beginning of a new and challenging world. In order for you to become a paramedic, you have to complete an additional two levels of certification, plus put in a great many hours out in the field before you can become a full fledged paramedic.

Levels of Training
The first level of emergency medical technician training that you will need to go through is the basic level coursework. You will not be able to start this level unless you have your high school diploma or the equivalent to it, such as the GED. During this level of emergency medical technician training, you will learn the basics of emergency response procedures and how to handle many of the most common issues that you will face in the field. You will study things like cardiac problems, respiratory issues, and how to deal with multiple types of trauma. These courses will prepare you to move into the medical field with the confidence and skills necessary to do the work that needs to be done.

In order to pass basic training, you have to take a written test at the end of the course work and training. You will also have to do a practical exam to show that you know how to handle basic emergency issues in the field. These tests are given through the state boards or through the national organization for emergency medical technicians called NREMT.

The next level of emergency medical technician training is the intermediate level. This level takes more time to complete because you are learning more in-depth material that pertains to the field. This level of study usually takes up to three hundred course hours in order to prepare you for working in the field. You will learn more advanced skills such as how to administer certain medications and how to use devices such as defibrillator machines. You will usually learn to administer IV fluids as well during this level, although the requirements can vary depending on the state.

The level of paramedic is the final level of emergency medical technician training that is involved in an EMT career. This training is usually done through a junior college or at a four year school as a part of an associate of science degree. The training for paramedic requires that anatomy and physiology classes be taken as well as other higher level science courses in order to fully train the EMT on the workings of the human body. The paramedic will also learn more of the medical terminology in the pursuit of the degree so that they can clearly express what they are seeing in various emergency situations to the nurses and doctors at the hospitals when they arrive.

Options in the Career

The normal career path that an EMT career involves will take dedication, time and effort. Individuals must complete the educational requirements, pass their training and certification courses and then they are allowed to work in an ambulance. There are different types of ambulances that you will encounter in a normal EMT career. The higher level ambulance is designated as an ACLS unit and it can respond to the 911 calls and is equipped to handle a wide variety of medical emergencies.

Another type is a less demanding unit and it handles primarily cases involving only medical transport ,such as moving a nursing home patient from the home to the hospital or vice versa. Usually, the partners will switch positions in the 911 ambulances, allowing one to drive during the first call while the other is in the back and on the next call, they switch. You can enjoy a variety of different duties and assignments and practice your emergency medical training skills as you progress in your EMT career.

There are other positions that EMT workers can also fill after taking the EMT courses. They may work in an emergency room, helping as an assistant when people come in for help. They usually do not handle as much of the emergency work since the nurses and doctors handle that. Instead, they assist the doctors and nurses in what they do. This is a good position for those who like the action but do not like to deal as directly in the field with the patients with traumatic injuries. No one EMT career has to be exactly like another and to some degree you can tailor yours to suit your needs.

Finally you can even find an EMT career that is in conjunction with the fire department, allowing you to be there on the scene when the fire department arrives and be part of the team that is helping. Most people who want this type of EMT career will need to advance their education and become a certified paramedic.

The emergency medical training that EMT technicians must endure is rigorous and physically demanding. It involves many instances where you have to bend down, lift, push, kneel, and more each day, multiple times per day. In addition, they have to work in extreme weather, dealing with hot and cold weather as well as snow and rain. They will usually work about forty to sixty hours per week in all of these conditions if they are ambulance workers. Hospital workers do not have to deal with these weather conditions, but the long hours are still common.

The good thing about an EMT career in the health care system is that the need for these workers is consistent and even growing. There are also opportunities for advancement in the career through additional emergency medical training courses and you may possibly become a paramedic, nurse or even a doctor further down the road. You can be guaranteed of one thing, an EMT career provides any individual with an exciting, rewarding, and an every changing job.

Today many EMTs can be found doing a lot of challenging assignments instead of just riding in an ambulance all day. Although the majority of EMT career openings do involve work on an ambulance as they transport patients from one location to another there are other openings available.

As an EMT or paramedic your emergency medical training skills can be used in the emergency room, at a doctor’s office, in clinics and even at police and fire departments. Some EMT career openings are offered by insurance companies and these individuals hired to handle insurance physicals; still others with emergency medical training skills may be requested to be on hand for major sporting events.

Some people decide on an EMT career because they think it would be a fun and exciting job to do. While this is true, there are some tense and unpleasant moments that also have to be faced when working as an EMT.

Pros and Cons of an EMT Career
One of the benefits of taking EMT courses is that the emergency medical training courses are shorter than with other professions, especially when you are first getting into it. Another benefit is that the job as an EMT is different every day, since the 911 calls or other medical transport situation is somewhat different each time. This position requires people who are in good physical condition, since it often involves lifting and transporting patients from one place to another.

Another benefit of becoming an EMT is that people are helped each day of work. Unlike other positions where a mound of paperwork or time in front of a computer is involved, when you have an EMT career you are helping others in a tangible way each time you go to work. This is often the reason that people become interested in the job, and it is definitively the reason that people continue to work the job year after year.

One down side to taking EMT courses is that, although the pay is decent, it is not a profession where people can get rich quickly. There is a way to move up the EMT career ladder in terms of pay, however, and that is through advancing to higher levels of EMT certification and even becoming a paramedic. However, this requires more schooling and a cost as well; so many people are unable or unwilling to pursue it.

Another down side that people have to be willing to face is the fact that they will have people die, either at the scene or in transport. This can be a side to EMT work that some people are not able to handle, especially since for many people their EMT career motivation is based on helping people and saving lives. Another surprising down side to EMT work is that sometimes patients can become angry and violent. This can also be the case with family members and friends of the patient. This aspect of the job can be frustrating and scary.

In addition, the emergency medical training courses will teach people on how to deal with drug abusers, mental health patients and more so that they can keep both the patient and themselves safe. In these situations and others, patients often defecate or vomit in the vehicle, which EMTs have to take care of. You may be called upon to test the limits of both your emergency medical training skills and your patience, but in the end it is all worth it.

Despite these harsh circumstances that may occur, the work involved in an EMT career is all about helping people, whatever the situation might be. With all of the down sides to the job, saving one person’s life makes all of the tough stuff fade away.