We have all lived and cherished dreams when we were young. Each of us as children have ourselves or at least heard our children proclaim that he/she wanted to be a cop or a fire fighter. Someone who is very close to living this dream is the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). All of us naturally and normally have a strong urge to save other’s life, but sadly this loses focus more and more as we grow up. And once we lose sight of these passions, we tend to forget them forever for the fear that people may label them as pointless or unachievable. Search yourself for such dreams and give it a new lease of life. Analyze them and try to devise ways to make them a reality. Calling up a person and wishing him hello might be enough to save his life if done at the right time. In some occasions, it is more complex and may involve injecting intravenous fluids or helping people who have difficulty in breathing with an airway device. The second category might seem too complex for a layman, but a certified EMT will get to posses these skills through thorough training.

A novice level EMT certificate is one of the requirements for applying for the post of a fire fighter or police officer. This level includes a good understanding of basic first aid and also examining a person and being able to decide the course of action to be taken. The novice EMT is also called “first-responder” EMT because the people who normally take up this certification course are cops or fire fighters who are most often the first people on the scene of the accident.

EMT-Basic or EMT-1 is the first level of the official EMT certification. The skills taught at this level include giving first aid, delivering a baby in emergency, treating fractures, handling pathogens that spread through blood, and other skills that may be required by the first responder. When a person gets certified at the Basic level, he will be registered with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians(NMERT). He/she is then ready to take up the next level of courses. EMT-Intermediate or courses 2 and 3 are more tedious to finish than the basic level. They take up more hours to teach and learn. But a person who has finished these two courses will have their skill set greatly increased. A person who manages to successfully complete this level, will be certified as EMT-Intermediate and will be registered at this level at the NMERT. You are allowed to take up Intermediate courses only when you have registered yourself with the NMERT after the Basic course. Note that your responsibilities will be on the rise too. You will be taught to approach each crisis in the most effective way. When you take up higher levels, your pay scale will go up to taking into account your knowledge and skills.

The highest level of certification is the 4th level or EMT-Paramedic certification level. To achieve this certification, you must have put in 2000 hours in the classroom and over a hundred hours at the emergency ward at a hospital. You will then have to register yourself with the NMERT. On successful completion, you can continue as an assistant to a physician or even higher. When you get registered, your chances of getting a job increases rapidly and also you will be contacted directly in case of any crisis. When you are just a Basic level EMT, you may not be saving lives, but you most certainly will be as you keep taking up higher level courses. They will be given a new lease of life just because of your simple plan of educating yourself. else’s.