EMT

EMT

STARofLIFE

Union County, NJ

Male, 24

I have been a certified Emergency Medical Technician (E.M.T.) for over 6 years. I am the true "first responder" and have been dispatched to over 1,000 calls including medical, trauma, and psychiatric emergencies. How do I handle the stress and what goes on in my mind when YOUR life is on the line? Find out by asking me anything!

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Last Answer on May 17, 2012

Best Rated

Do you think age 18 is too young to become an EMT? While I'm sure there are many smart and responsible teens out there, I'm not sure I'd want a teenager handling me if I were in life-threatening situation.

Asked by Shel-B almost 13 years ago

No, I do not think 18 is too young to become an EMT. To tell you the truth, I've met a few 40- or 50-year-old EMTs who I would be a little hesitant to let treat me in a life-threatening emergency. Being a "smart" or "responsible" EMT comes down to one thing, EXPERIENCE. How can an 18 year old be experienced in anything? Let me explain. In New Jersey, one can obtain a provisional EMT license by taking taking a course and passing the state exam as young as 16 years old. This allows the 16-year-old EMT to join volunteer squads and "ride-along" as a probationary member. Once this EMT turns 18, he or she will have had two years of experience,... Read More +

What was the most gruesome trauma you witnessed while on the job? Did the person survive?

Asked by Mangoria almost 13 years ago

This is a question I am always asked. Generally, I would say burns or car accidents are pretty horrific and gruesome. However, my most traumatic call involved a construction worker putting up a ceiling fan in a new house. The worker lost his balance and fell off his ladder. He managed to catch his wrist on an jagged piece of porcelain sink. He cut through both his radial and ulnar arteries (the arteries in the wrist suicide victims use). He literally was pumping blood out of these arteries every time his heart beat. I quickly elevated his arm and applied direct pressure to the wound. However, the injury was so severe that we could not control... Read More +

If you get a call and once you arrive, you realize the patient is not actually in a state of emergency (perhaps they're a hypochondriac), do you still have to take them to the hospital? Gotta think this happens occasionally with nervous parents and/or the elderly ...

Asked by gregg almost 13 years ago

Yes, you are absolutely correct in your last statement. We get many 911 calls from nervous parents or elderly patients who are not having an acute medical emergency. This certainly doesn't mean that they don't need treatment. It's just that they don't need the ambulance to transport them immediately. Here's how transportation works. We cannot legally force someone to go the the hospital with us. This would qualify as kidnapping or false imprisonment. Note, this does not hold true for minors without parental consent or psychiatric patients. Any patient who is over 18, coherent and not a threat to themselves/other can sign an RMA (refuse... Read More +

How much does a fully-outfitted ambulance cost? (I mean the ambulance itself, not a ride in the ambulance).

Asked by Steiny almost 13 years ago

Let me put it this way. You could either be riding around in fully stocked, state-of-the-art ambulance or a mid-range Ferrari. Although, I don't think patients would appreciate a Ferrari showing up during their heart attack. Don't quote me on these numbers but the ambulance body itself costs about $70,000. The real cost is all the expensive equipment which makes it a life saving vehicle and not just a van. A fully stocked ambulance includes a high powered radio system, lights/sirens/air-horns, oxygen delivery system and a high powered vacuum for airway suction to name a few. Next, we need to decal the ambulance with our town colors and... Read More +

If you arrive on the scene and the patient is DOA, or if the patient dies en route to the hospital, do you still have to speed to the hospital as fast as possible?

Asked by Flaco almost 13 years ago

EMTs cannot pronounce a patient dead. There are, however, two exceptions. These exceptions are when obvious death (decapitation) occurs or severe rigor mortis is seen. Therefore, if we think a patient may have just expired before our arrival or en route to the hospital, we will continue life saving measure (CPR, cardiac defibrillation, mechanical ventilation) until we arrive at the hospital. This scenario changes when we are working the the MICU (mobile intensive care unit) Paramedics. The paramedics have a much advanced level of training and are certified to pronounce death in consultation with a physician over the phone. If the paramedics... Read More +

Are all EMTs volunteers, or are there paid EMTs as well?

Asked by go ducks almost 13 years ago

There are opportunities for both paid and volunteer EMT positions. The distribution varies by state. Let me give you an example of how it usually works in New Jersey.... In the state of New Jersey, most squads are volunteer based. In my town, when a call comes in and we don't have a crew to respond, a county EMS squad is dispatched. This county EMS squad is paid to respond to any town in the county who is short on EMS crews. There are also EMT companies, MONOC and On-Time in NJ, who hire paid EMTs. These companies mostly do transports of patients to and from private residences and between hospitals. These companies don't do emergency calls.... Read More +

How long does it take for an ambulance to arrive?

Asked by Andretti almost 13 years ago

I don't have statistics on this (even though they certainly exist). Off the top of my head, I'd say our average response time is between 5 and 7 minutes. This would obviously vary based on the location of the call and traffic. Yes you heard me correctly, traffic. Even though we have the red lights and sirens, traffic still requires us to slow down and navigate it slowly and safely. Luckily, our squad building is right smack in the middle of town. This cuts down on average response time across the whole town. When a call comes in, I'm immediately out the door! You wouldn't believe how many of my EMT colleagues take their time out the door.... Read More +