What Is an EMT-B?

Overview
EMT stands for emergency medical technician. EMTs are trained to provide emergency care for injured or sick people before they arrive at the hospital, or before people with more advanced medical training arrive on the scene. EMT-B is the basic level of emergency medical technicians. There are several levels of emergency medical personnel, with increasing levels of training, proficiency and responsibility.

History
In the United States, the U.S. Department of Transportation regulates all emergency medical service training and certification. The modern era of pre-hospital emergency care began in Maryland in the mid-1960s. One impetus for change was a study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences that demonstrated that many deaths could be avoided in part by better pre-hospital care for people with medical emergencies, like heart attacks, or who had been in accidents.

Function
A person who is certified as an EMT is often based in an ambulance or a public setting, such as a stadium, and provides pre-hospital care according to a set of protocols or decision trees. An EMT-B is trained in Basic Life Support (BLS). This includes tasks such as providing oxygen therapy, controlling bleeding, using an automated external defibrillator (AED) and splinting a broken limb. EMT-Bs respond to all kinds of emergencies, including fires, auto crashes, hazardous material spills and incidents of drowning.

Types
EMT-B is the most basic level of emergency medical services. Courses that train students for the EMT-B test are available at many colleges, community colleges, private academies and other institutions. With further study, a person certified as an EMT-B can become an EMT-I, or intermediate-level EMT. Depending on the state, an EMT-I might be able to start an intravenous line (IV), give certain medications under the guidance of a physician or perform endotracheal intubation. A paramedic, sometimes called an EMT-P, is the most highly trained of emergency medical personnel. A person certified as an EMT-P can perform many more advanced procedures and may be hired to work on an air ambulance or an advanced life support unit.

Time Frame
If you plan to be certified at the EMT-B level, you can count on having to take about 120 hours of classes. Then you will need to pass a written exam. The higher-level EMT certifications require more hours of study.

Features
Make sure any EMT-B classes you take meet the requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation Guidelines. To enroll, you need to be 18 years of age or older and have completed high school or earned your GED. Most schools do criminal background checks on prospective students. Many courses also expect applicants to have passed a basic CPR course. Expect to pay several hundred dollars to take one of these courses. Some programs require students to purchase a stethoscope and blood-pressure cuff.