Here’s a question for the average college student: Do you know what EMT stands for?
If you do, that’s great. In case you don’t, it stands for Emergency Medical Technician. These men and women risk their lives for your health and safety.
Aria Kian, 20, is an EMT in Fairfax County, Virginia.
His story began with his own emergency. One day, he had to call 911 in order to obtain help for an injured family member in great distress. He was then struck by the quick response of the EMTs who were able to calm everyone down and treat his injured family member with ease and professionalism. This is when he considered making the profession his own.
Kian remarked, “I always knew that I wanted a job which would allow me to make a difference. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to work in a field that I had passion for and not make my decisions based on the salary. I knew I needed a career which is exciting and rewarding, but I never thought about going to EMT or Fire school.”
In order to become an EMT-Basic, one must attend EMT school. The certification process is about six months long. It is offered through the fire department. Kian said that EMT school is compact with a lot of reading. The main difference between EMT school and regular college courses is that when a person studies to become an EMT, the material learned could be the difference between life and death.
There are many quizzes and tests throughout EMT school. Any candidate with a score lower than 70% is immediately dropped from the course. Once the EMT student completes his or her courses, the EMT student must take and pass a County test, a state test, and then a national registry test. EMT students receive only two attempts to pass these tests. To state the obvious, the program is rigorous because safety issues are at stake. When asked about these rigors, Kian laughed and told me that compared to EMT school, college is easy.
The average shift of an EMT varies, Kian said. It’s generally 24 hours long, starting at 7 in the morning and ending at 7 in the morning the next day. A day might be very quiet and slow. Sometimes, there are only 3 to 5 calls. On other days, there is hardly any time to eat or sleep. Each day is different, and that’s why he loves the job.
The basic task of an EMT is to stabilize an injured or physically distressed person and then safely bring them to the hospital by ambulance. During transportation, the team constantly checks the patient’s vital signs and provides them with appropriate medicine or oxygen if needed. They also talk to them to help relieve stress.
Every call requires an EMT to prepare documentation, which summarizes the call and the care of the patient. This documentation is provided to the ER staff and is saved for potential use in any legal matter which might arise as a result.
Like most professions, there is much stress involved in the life of an EMT. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise is of high importance. Due to the fact that many incidents can cause or lead to post traumatic stress disorders, EMTs have to engage in conscious efforts to retain their personal peace. Counseling programs are available. Kian personally enjoys outdoor activities to relieve stress.
Kian describes being an EMT as a privilege. He said, “I believe that there is no such thing as an “off-duty EMT,” meaning that once you become employed as an EMT, you are always encouraged to use your training and knowledge to help others in times of need or stress. The job always presents you with opportunities to truly make a difference in people’s lives.” Kian is currently in fire school in order to earn certification as an EMT- Paramedic, his ultimate goal.