Emergency medical technician
An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and some part-time departments require their firefighters to be EMT certified.
The Star of Life, a global symbol of emergency medical service. | |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Emergency medical technician |
| Synonyms | EMT |
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Emergency services Healthcare |
| Description | |
Fields of employment | Ambulance; hospital; pre-hospital; transport |
Related jobs | Paramedic |
In English-speaking countries, paramedics are a separate profession that has additional educational requirements, qualifications, and scope of practice.
EMTs are often employed by public ambulance services, municipal EMS agencies, governments, hospitals, and fire departments. Some EMTs are paid employees, while others (particularly those in rural areas) are volunteers. EMTs provide medical care under a set of protocols, which are typically written by a physician.