What are the different EMT's?

Question

One thing that I've never really looked into and would like to know is what the different EMT rankings mean! Some I've seen EMT-Basic, EMT-B, etc.

Does anyone have a resource? Thanks in advanced!

Answer 1

The US Department of Transportation recognizes four levels of EMTs:

EMT-B (Basic)
EMT-I/85 (Intermediate)
EMT-I/99 (Intermediate)
EMT-P (Paramedic)

All EMT's must be a Basic level, which requires about 110 hours or more of education, before moving on to Intermediate or Paramedic. You do not need to be an Intermediate before training for Paramedic though. Most good paramedic schools do require that you've worked as a EMT-Basic for at least one year as a prerequisite for admittance.

The difference is that the only drug a Basic can administer is Oxygen (plus assist with a few patient prescribed meds). Intermediates and Paramedics add on medications and advanced tools/techniques (intubation, IVs..).

Answer 2

The above answerer has got it right. I'd just like to add a couple of things.

Some states don't use the DOT standards, and have created their own, so those ranks might not apply to your state. However, they usually just change the names of the levels, but the qualifications and level of care that they can provide usually remain the same.
For example, in Alaska, we have EMT 1,2,3, and MICP (mobile intensive care paramedic). EMT 1 is just like EMT-Basic, 2 is pretty much the first Intermediate level, 3 is more advanced than the second Intermediate level, and MICP is a bit more advanced than the EMT-P level used by the DOT.

Also, the DOT standards are changing in 2008. The new levels will be:
Emergency Medical Responder
Emergency Medical Technician
Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
Paramedic

Hope this helps!