First Responder
The
First Responder is the most basic level of EMS provider certified by the Pennsylvania
Department of Health. This person is usually allied with a fire or
ambulance squad or industrial, recreational response team. His or her
job is to assess the situation and the victim's illness or injury and to
stabilize their condition until more advanced help arrives.
The First Responder completes a
40-43 hour class which includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation, control of
bleeding, stabilization of fractures, childbirth, oxygen administration, etc..
At the conclusion of the program he/she participates in a state practical and
written examination.
First Responders are generally
employed in heavy industrial settings as part of the plant emergency response
team. They may also take additional training in fire fighting.
Outside of that setting, they are often volunteers with their local emergency
companies.
Certification as a First Responder
is good for a period of three years, after which the individual must
re-certify his/her certification. This re-certification can be done by
successfully taking another practical and written evaluation or through
continuing education, accruing 18 hours within the three year certification
period (in addition to attending a CPR training/retraining course).
To
receive additional information about a specific program, please contact the
Council office at (814) 355-1474.
Emergency Medical Technician
EMT's are given training similar to the First Responder but in much more
depth. As with the First Responder, the EMT learns cardiopulmonary
resuscitation, control of bleeding, stabilization of fractures, childbirth,
and oxygen administration; but also learn a number of additional and more
complex skills such as spinal immobilization, use of the automated external
defibrillator, assisting patients with medications, etc. The EMT is the
basic staff member of a basic life support (BLS) ambulance. There must
be at least one EMT on each emergency crew.
EMT's are
either volunteers or employed by ambulance and fire companies to provide both
routine and emergency care and transportation of patients. Some
ambulance companies provide only emergency services. Others provide
emergency, non-emergency, and wheelchair services. Some companies are in
business only for non-emergency work. In addition, EMTs are found in
industrial response squads, first aid stations and fire companies.
The EMT
course is 125.5 hours in length. Our programs are usually held in
three-hour blocks with two classes being held one week followed by three
classes the following for approx. 9 weeks. Participants must take a
state practical and written examination after successful completion of the
training program. Certification is for a three year period, after which
the individual must re-certify by either challenging the state examinations or
by accruing a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education credits through
participation in Department approved courses (in addition to attending a CPR
training/retraining program).
To
receive additional information about a specific program, please contact the
Council office at (814) 355-1474
EMT-Paramedic
Many
EMTs go back to school to become Paramedics. They go to school for close
to a year and receive in-depth training on how to care for a wide variety of
serious illnesses and injuries. Some of the advanced skills available to
a Paramedic working under a medical command physician are: cardiac
rhythm interpretation and monitoring, administration of drugs, establishment
of IVs, placement of endotracheal tubes, invasive procedures to open a
victim's airway or decompress the chest, etc.
Paramedics
function in a variety of settings, frequently as a member of a hospital-based
medic unit, part of an ambulance service or on a mobile intensive care unit,
or as a member of a medical flight team.
In addition
to the EMT training course, the EMT-Paramedic completes an additional 250 to
350 hours of classroom training plus a minimum of 232 hours of clinical
experience in the hospital setting and several hundred hours of field
internship hours depending upon the course location and medical director.
Upon successful completion of the training requirements, the EMT-Paramedic
then must pass a state written examination. Once certified, the EMT-P
must maintain skill competency, as determined by the ALS service’s medical
director (MD), on an annual basis to be allowed to continue to function as a
Paramedic.
Seven
Mountains EMS Council currently doesn't have any EMT-Paramedic training
programs scheduled for the future.
Prehospital RN (PHRN)
The
Prehospital RN program was instituted in PA to allow licensed registered
nurses, with training and experience in prehospital care, to function as an
ALS provider outside the hospital setting. PHRNs usually function as a
member of a hospital-based ALS ambulance or squad intercept vehicle and/or for
aeromedical services.
Pennsylvania allows licensed RNs to become PHRNs through either participation
in a PHRN course or through a challenge mechanism. The PHRN course
consists of approximately 150 hours of lecture, clinical, and field
instruction. The challenge mechanism allows RNs who have previous
experience in the field setting to receive this certification without
participation in the program.
Seven
Mountains doesn't currently have any PHRN courses scheduled within the Region.
EMT-Instructor
The EMT-Instructor program is approx. 24 hours and prepares
currently certified EMTs and EMT-Paramedics to train new providers in the
skills and knowledge needed to function as a first responder or emergency
medical technician. EMT-Instructors also provide a majority of the
continuing education programs presented throughout the Commonwealth.
Instructor
certification is for a three-year period with the instructor needing to accrue
a minimum of 60 hours of teaching time within that three-year period.
For
more information and a listing of the prerequisites, please contact the
Council office.