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Emergency Medical Technicians

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 29-2042.00United States

Assess injuries and illnesses and administer basic emergency medical care. May transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$44,470

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+8.7%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Certificate

42.6% of the workforce

Employment
181.01K jobs

Growing to 196.74K by 2035

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Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What emergency medical technicians do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
  • Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
  • Attend training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge.
  • Comfort and reassure patients.
  • Communicate with dispatchers or treatment center personnel to provide information about situation, to arrange reception of survivors, or to receive instructions for further treatment.
  • Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.
  • Decontaminate ambulance interior following treatment of patient with infectious disease, and report case to proper authorities.
  • Drive mobile intensive care unit to specified location, following instructions from emergency medical dispatcher.
  • Immobilize patient for placement on stretcher and ambulance transport, using backboard or other spinal immobilization device.
  • Maintain vehicles and medical and communication equipment, and replenish first aid equipment and supplies.
  • Observe, record, and report to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
  • Perform emergency diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as stomach suction, airway management, or heart monitoring, during ambulance ride.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$34,133
25th percentile
$37,960
50th percentile
$44,470
75th percentile
$50,107
90th percentile
$62,504

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $44,470 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+8.7%faster than average
2025181,006 jobs
2035 projected196,737 jobs

15,731 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Certificate
42.6%
Some college
29.9%
Associate degree
11.8%
High school diploma or less
10.9%
Bachelor's degree
4.9%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Emergency Medical Services
  • Ambulances
  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
  • Good Driving Record
  • Patient Transport
  • First Aid
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Medical Equipment
  • Office Equipment
  • Emergency Response
  • Lifting Ability
  • Medical History Documentation
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
  • Patient Rights
  • Loading And Unloading
  • Medical Assistance
  • Community Relations
  • Billing
  • Critical Care
  • Warehousing

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Emergency Medical Technicians - Basic2,631 postings
  2. 02Emergency Medical Technicians2,312 postings
  3. 03Paramedics1,688 postings
  4. 04Medical Equipment Delivery Drivers866 postings
  5. 05Emergency Medical Technician Paramedics690 postings
  6. 06On-Site Medical Representatives594 postings
  7. 07Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Drivers290 postings
  8. 08Advanced Analysts249 postings
  9. 09Medical Drivers223 postings
  10. 10Ambulance Drivers195 postings
  11. 11Emergency Medical Responders173 postings
  12. 12Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians172 postings
  13. 13Emergency Response Managers133 postings
  14. 14Emergency Vehicle Technicians111 postings
  15. 15Medical Professionals88 postings
  16. 16Combat Medics81 postings
  17. 17Medical Representatives69 postings
  18. 18Transport Engineers68 postings
  19. 19Academy Managers59 postings
  20. 20First Responders55 postings

Top employers

  1. 01AMR910 postings
  2. 02Lincare770 postings
  3. 03Global Medical Response650 postings
  4. 04Acadian Ambulance Service560 postings
  5. 05Amazon412 postings
  6. 06Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service254 postings
  7. 07CHRISTUS Health238 postings
  8. 08Superior Airground Ambulance237 postings
  9. 09MedSpeed204 postings
  10. 10Octapharma203 postings
  11. 11Superior Ambulance Service191 postings
  12. 12Spectraforce Technologies172 postings
  13. 13Acadian Companies121 postings
  14. 14BioLife Plasma Services121 postings
  15. 15Actalent110 postings
  16. 16Medcor110 postings
  17. 17MedStar73 postings
  18. 18University of Pittsburgh Medical Center64 postings
  19. 19CSL63 postings
  20. 20Tang & Company61 postings

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