First responder certification is typically offered through bachelor’s, associate’s and certificate programs. Students or individuals who are pursuing a degree or certificate in firefighting, emergency medical services, environmental control, and homeland security must receive a first responder certification. There are also specific types of certifications that are available to certain professionals such as wilderness first responder certification. Online first responder certification are also available, however in order to fully grasp the course it is advised to take it in person. It is through this certification that individuals learn the skills necessary for responding to an emergency situation.

What’s In First Responder Course?

An individual in need of a first responder certification has to take the required first responder course. What this course does is train people how to provide care when being first responders to an emergency. During the certification process a student will learn many different skills that are needed in emergency response situations. These can include but are not limited to trauma care, intravenous therapy, first aid, and more.

In the intravenous therapy portion of first responder certification courses, a student learns the proper methods of intravenously delivering liquid and medication. Students will typically start by learning how to correctly find veins and properly insert IV’s into them. One of the parts that a lot of beginners to medical aid struggle with is inserting IV’s. What learning intravenous therapy does is provide students with the knowledge of how to stabilize an injured person suffering from shock or other related trauma.  This part of the course is usually done within the first few weeks of starting.

Trauma care is another main part of any first responder certification course. Students learn about the different kinds of trauma (like abdominal, spinal, soft tissue, etc) and the best methods of administering immediate forms of preventative care to injured persons. One of the first things learned in this part of the course if the several stages of trauma. These can include hemorrhaging as well as shock, so students can know what the typical initial signs of trauma are. Also learned by students is chest decompression techniques, airways opening methods, and immobilization techniques.

The specifics of each first responder certification course differ from state to state because of varying laws and regulations. Some states do not allow the course to include certain areas of training. The typical amount of training time that is needed to be certified is approximately forty to sixty hours. These hours include classroom training as well as in the field training too. First responder certification courses are commonly offered through local fire departments and Red Cross offices.

Responsibilities and Limitations

A first responder provides aid and help to professional medical workers once they arrive on the scene of an emergency. The actual amount of aid that they can give to people is limited though and varies from state to state. In the majority of states, police and fire professionals are certified first responders, and these states have differing regulations and guidelines for them. However most states have Good Samaritan laws in place.

What these Good Samaritan laws do is protect first responders who are not medically licensed who try and give medical attention to people in an emergency situation. Recently, the Good Samaritan laws have been expanded to also protect those who are medical professionals as well. However it is possible for even professionally trained medical personnel to be held responsible for injury if they overstep their skill and knowledge when giving treatment. A good example of this would be a certified first responder providing a tracheal intubation, and causing harm by doing so to the injured person. Legally, the first responder could be held responsible for the harm attained by performing an action that they are not qualified to do.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that all emergency medical technicians complete an EMT refresher course every two years in order to renew their certification for a new EMT card. With re-certification a national requirement, there is growing demand for providers that offer these courses so that EMT professionals can continue their education.

Thankfully, there are many providers offering EMT refresher courses, which include all the specific components required in order to re-certify. With two major components to recertification required with the first being around 24 hours of training and the second being 48 hours of documented proof in EMS related continued education,

The necessity of re-training every two years can make it a time consuming endeavor for many, but the main focus is to ensure that every EMT really is the best he or she can be. To uphold standards, this means that EMT’s must complete a refresher every two years, and within two years of the certification having lapsed.

To make things simpler, the NHTSA and National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians have made it possible to swap certain elements for online training. While it’s not nationwide, thankfully, more and more states are permitting online EMT refresher training, making it easier than ever to apply for your recertification.

Recertification is pretty much a straightforward process involving taking a refresher course that is ordinarily around 24 hours, as well as proving college based, or continued education in a number of specific EMT related fields. As a result, 48 hours of training are required in order to recertify as an EMT. Fortunately however, that’s not as bad as it sounds.

Online EMT Refresher Course

Today, many online EMT refresher courses can also sometimes cover the whole 48 hours of training which means that EMT’s can take care of everything with one provider. It does typically cost more, but the benefits of being able to get up to date at one place, makes things much easier for just about everyone. Unfortunately, with varying state requirements, it is important to find out in advance by contacting the NHTSA or NREMT directly. Some states currently require that all courses are administered traditionally, i.e. offline.

For EMT or EMT basic certified professionals, there is actually an alternative for those who would like to forego all the training, as one can simply show their proficiency by retaking the exam. For the most part however, EMT refresher courses are proving more popular as they help EMT professionals keep up-to-date when it comes to developments in emergency care provision and response.

With some providers even offering continuing education courses in EMS, this allows professionals to become eligible for recertification in almost no time. This compared to the time consuming nature of traditional re-certification, which usually involves around four days of in-class training, means that combined online EMT refresher courses are most certainly the way to go for many.

The costs of renewal and EMT refresher courses can be prohibitive, that’s why for many – online options are more popular – if their state allows it. While a great many do, it does vary between state that do, states that permit a portion of training to be delivered via distance learning, and also those that require traditional training.

EMT re-certification can indeed look like a complicated process, but luckily, it’s nowhere near as difficult once you start to deal with the requirements step by step. For almost all states, the first requirement is that professionals must undergo a refresher course as well as a number of continuing education courses. The golden number for training hours comes in at 24 hours of refresher training and 24 hours of continuing education.

There’s no question that if one wants to be successful in the EMT field, they need to practice due diligence and really plan out what their future goals are. As our previous articles have outlined, there are generally three levels of EMTs; EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, and paramedic. Paramedics are at the top of hierarchy, and as a result, becoming a paramedic does require additional training. Ultimately, it is a personal decision; some will prefer to remain as a EMT-Basic or EMT-Intermediate,  and there is absolutely no problem in this. But for those who want to take their career one step further, then becoming a paramedic is the next step.

Being a Paramedic

Those who are paramedics will likely tell you that the job is no walk in the park; and they’re right. Although the jobs of the lower level EMTs is strenuous and requires a high level of skill, the most critical of decisions are to be made by paramedics. As a result, the standards to become a certified paramedic are set very high, and even once an individual has become a certified paramedic, one is required to attend training courses from time to time to ensure they are up to date on the latest medical information, life saving techniques, and so forth. The medical field is one that is rapidly changing continuously, which is why these follow up training courses are mandated.

As a result of the added job responsibilities paramedics hold, there is often a great degree of stress they have to handle. Therefore, it is important that those who plan to pursue additional training to become a paramedic are well versed in dealing with situations under pressure. Paramedics are those who are able to take charge and make decisions in the most critical of moments.

Paramedic Training

Now, you may be wondering just how to become a paramedic. Well, as we mentioned, becoming a paramedic requires you to attend a paramedic training course. In order to enroll in a paramedic training course, you must already be a certified intermediate level EMT.

Paramedic training takes what was learned in the previous levels of EMT training to a whole other level. At this level of training, EMTs will be taught how to administer certain medications to those who have either overdosed or gone into a shock. Other skills that will be taught include how to read EKGs (electrocardiogram which is test to determine the heart’s electrical activity), and also how to administer electrical cardiac stimulation, which can be key in saving the lives of patients. Lastly, throughout paramedic training, EMTs will learn more about the legal aspect of medical care, which is important considering the nature of their job.

As a paramedic, you must be ready to work long hours, which can often include night shifts, have the strength and endurance required to lift heavy weights, and be fine with working both inside and outside.

Once you’ve been through an EMT training program, your next step will be to take an exam. The certification exam is the last step in your journey before being able to get out in the work force and applying for jobs as an emergency medical technician. Though you may have done great in your EMT training course, learned several techniques, and feel that you have a great grip on everything an EMT needs to do, without a passing grade on the EMT certification exam, you will not be considered a certified EMT. In this article, we will outline some tips for those of you who have completed your EMT training course, and are preparing for the certification exam.

Like any exam, the EMT certification exam is designed to assess a student’s knowledge that they have acquired through their EMT training course. Unfortunately, the courses are generally very compact, and are nowhere near the length of a standard university education. Thus, it is important to stay on top of the course material and study regularly in order to retain the information. It’s common for people to “cram” last minute, which basically means to try to study everything at the last minute, but this has continuously proven to be a bad studying habit. The best technique is to study regularly. Here are some other tips to help you prepare for your upcoming exam. Some of these tips pertain to your training course, while others pertain to studying techniques.

Ask Questions

It’s human nature to turn shy or be intimidated around groups of others. During your EMT training course, do not be afraid to ask questions. People often avoid asking questions because they think it’s a “stupid question”. There is no such thing as a stupid question, and chances are, if you have a question, at least one other person in the course has a similar question.  So ask away! You’re doing both yourself a favor, and your classmates a favor. Additionally, asking questions now will help you avoid having to dig for answers later on while studying for your exam.

Take Good Notes

Note taking is indeed a skill. During lectures, you want to be able to listen, but also take notes on the key points as well. A bad note taking habit is to write down every word that the instructor says, and it is important to avoid doing this. You want to only write down the important points, and focus the rest of your attention to the instructor, while retaining all other information in your memory. Taking notes on a laptop is recommended, as people often can type faster than they can write by hand, which allows them to focus more on the instructor than on taking notes.

Review Notes Regularly

After a long day in class, people tend to put studying at the bottom of their list of things to do that night. Several studies have shown that in the hour or two after a class, data retention is highest, meaning that it is the best time to study. Data retention, in laymen’s terms, basically revolves around the amount of information your brain will store. The sooner you study the material you learned that day, the higher the chance it will be stored in your brains long term memory. Studying doesn’t have to be a five hour task, if done regularly. You can simply review your notes for 20 to 30 minutes after class, and that would be more than enough.

Studying Location

It’s important to study in a good location, meaning somewhere that you are comfortable, and are also able to concentrate. Studies have shown that studying somewhere that the temperature is cool is best, as it helps keep you alert and awake. Secondly, it’s important to study somewhere noise-free. You want to avoid distractions such as television, music, and computers.

Study Groups

Study groups work wonders. Team up with other members in your EMT training course and form a study group. Each group member can form a number of questions on their own time, and when the group meets up, everyone can quiz each other. Being a study group is also a great way to ask questions. For example, after the last class, you were reviewing your notes at home, only to realize that you didn’t complete understand a section of the lecture. Solution? Get in touch with your study group members, and chances are, one of them will be able to answer your question.

Skim Prior to Reading

Prior to reading the assigned sections of the textbook, it’s definitely a good idea to quickly skim over the chapter. Doing so will allow you to get a basic grasp of the material, so once you read it thoroughly the second time around, things will make a lot more sense.

Notes While Reading

When reading the course textbook, you want to do more than just read as if you were reading a novel. You want to treat it as you would treat a lecture, writing down the important points, highlighting keywords, and so forth. Textbooks hold a wealth of knowledge, and usually include things that your instructor may miss pointing out.

All in all, it’s important not to stress yourself out. Given you follow the above tips, you should have no problem successfully completing the EMT certification exam. Good luck!