What is an EMT-Basic?

    EMTs (emergency medical technicians) are professional emergency medical personnel.  They are the

 primary individuals responsible for treating ill and injured people, usually outside of a hospital.  They most

 often work for ambulance services provided by hospitals, fire departments, or city or county governments. In

 other words, when a person calls 911 for a medical emergency, EMTs are responsible for responding in an

 ambulance, assessing and treating the patient's illness or injury, and transporting them to a hospital.

    While the majority of EMTs work for ambulance services, they can also work in emergency departments

 and at commercial locations, such as athletic and performing arts venues, hotels and resorts, amusement

 and water parks, casinos, and major tourist attractions.

    There are three levels (four in some states, including Indiana) of EMTs, with EMT-Basic being the first level.

 At this level, students are trained to properly assess and treat a very wide range of medical emergencies

 (see below).  This knowledge forms the core for all emergency medical treatment.  Even paramedics, the

 highest level of EMTs, are only trained significantly above the level of EMT-Basics in very specific areas,

 such as medication administration and heart rhythm interpretation.

    Each state maintains its own certification standards, and, therefore, an EMT must hold current certification

 in whichever state(s) they are interested in working in.  To work in Indiana, an EMT must hold a current

 Indiana EMT certification.  There is also a national certification (new window) which is useful in applying for

 reciprocity in other states (using current certifications to obtain certifications in other states without going

 through that state's entire training program).  Reciprocity standards differ between states, so an EMT must

 check the specific requirements for the state in which they are interested in applying for reciprocity.

    For more detailed information, see the following documents and videos.  The documents are in PDF format.

 The NEMSA (National EMS Association) video is streamed directly from its website (new window).

 Documents

• Indiana EMS Certification Levels

• NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) EMS Brochure

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 Videos

 Course Content

 Course students learn to assess and treat the following emergency medical conditions:

• Allergic Reaction

• Amputation

• Animal Bite

• Asthma Attack

• Appendicitis

• Bleeding

• Blunt Trauma

• Bone Fracture (Broken Bone)

• Burn

• Cardiac Arrest (Heart not Beating)

• Chest Pain

• Childbirth

• CHF (Congestive Heart Failure)

• Choking

• Death

• Dehydration

• Diabetic Attack

• Difficulty Breathing

• Drowning & Near Drowning

• Drug Use

• Fall

• Food Poisoning

• Frostnip & Frostbite

• Heart Attack

• Hyperthermia (Overheating)

• Hyperventilation (Rapid Breathing)

• Hypothermia (Being too Cold)

• Insect Bite/Sting

• Intoxication

• Joint Sprain or Dislocation

• Labor

• Miscarriage

• Muscle Strain

• Penetrating Object

• Poisoning

• Pulmonary Edema (Fluid Filling Lungs)

• Psychological Instability

• Respiratory Arrest (Not Breathing)

• Sexual Assault

• Shock

• SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

• Stroke

• Seizure

• Suicide & Attempted Suicide

• Syncope (Fainting)

 Course students also learn the following practical skills:

• Patient Assessment

• Airway Devices and Airway Suctioning

• Mouth-to-Mask Resuscitation with Supplemental Oxygen

• Oxygen Administration

• Bleeding Control and Shock Management

• Bone, Joint, and Traction (Femur Bone) Splinting

• Longboard/Backboard and Seated (KED) Immobilization

• Airway Tube Insertion (Combi-Tube)

• Cardiac Arrest Management and AED Administration

 Finally, course students also learn about the following emergency medical concepts:

• Abuse

• Ambulance Operation

• Communication

• Documentation

• EMT Safety

• Extrication

• Hazardous Materials

• Helicopter Response

• Patient Consent

• Living Wills & DNR (Do not Resuscitate) Orders

• Mass Casualty & Triage

• Organ Donation

• Professionalism

• Stress

• Universal Precautions (Protection from Disease)

 Course Offerings

    The following are the most prominent opportunities for IU students and staff, and local residents, to take

 an EMT-Basic course:

• The university provides a semester-long course.  See the below section for more information.

• The Bloomington Ivy Tech college offers a semester-long course, PAR-102 (new window).  Course requirements are listed in its EMT-Basic fact sheet (PDF).

• Local training company EMT Inc. (officially Pelham Training, new window), provides a three-month "standard" course (new window) and a two-week accelerated course (new window).  IU-EMS highly encourages students to take the three-month course instead of the two-week accelerated course, as students of the latter report a full time commitment (class lasts almost the full day) and experiencing extreme difficulty in learning and retaining the material.

• IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) provides a two-part course, EMER-E201 (new window) and EMER-E202 (new window), which can be taken in order or simultaneously.

• St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis offers a four-month course (new window).

    The course and the additional certification requirements (see below) can be completed anywhere in the

 state.  Therefore, a student can take a course in Bloomington and take the state examinations elsewhere,

 and vice versa.  For opportunities to take the Indiana course at another location, visit the state's course

 schedule (new window).

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 IU Course

    Indiana University offers a semester-long course in HPER (School of Health, Physical Education, and

 Recreation) for four credits.  It consists of two components which must be taken simultaeously:  HPER-H401*

 (new window), a three-credit book oriented lecture on Monday nights, and HPER-H404* (new window), a

 one-credit, two-hour practical skills lab on Fridays.  The labs are available at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m.,

 and, pending enough students, at 3:00 p.m.  While the lecture location and time may vary between semesters,

 the lab is always held in HPER-016 (and also utilizes HPER-017 and HPER-021) at the times listed above.

    The lab is instructed by the course's primary instructor, Arch Tinsley (new window), and several assistant

 instructors. These assistant instructors are hired from the Bloomington Ivy Tech college, are EMTs in IU-EMS,

 or are former students who have successfully completed the course.

 *Some information on the HPER-H401/H404 course page is outdated.

 Course Requirements

    In general, the only requirement to register for a course is to possess current professional CPR certification

 (called Healthcare Provider from the American Heart Association or Professional Rescuer from the

 American Red Cross), if it is not provided as part of the course itself.  The specific requirements for individual

 training sites may vary, so a student must check the requirements for each course that he or she is interested

 in.  There are many additional requirements for those students wishing to apply for certification (see below).

 Therefore, training sites may extend these certification requirements to registering for the course in the first

 place.  Visit the first aid, CPR, and AED page for opportunities to obtain professional CPR certification.

 Certification Requirements

    Students wishing to obtain Indiana EMT-Basic certification must meet the following ten requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old.

• Possess current professional CPR certification.

• Successfully complete an Indiana EMT-Basic course.

• Successfully complete three free online courses.

• Complete a minimum number of hours of clinical training on an ambulance (usually eight)

• Complete a minimum number of hours of clinical training in an emergency department (usually eight).

• Establish a minimum number of total patient contacts from all clinical training (usually eight).

• Successfully complete the Indiana EMT-Basic written examination.

• Successfully complete the Indiana EMT-Basic practical skills examination.

• Submit a complete Indiana EMT-Basic certification application.

 Links

    The following links provide additional background or EMT-Basic course information.  All links open in a

 new window except the CPR course page.

• CPR Course Opportunities

• IU HPER-H401/H404 Registrar Course Description

• IU HPER-H401/H404 Course Page (Some Information Outdated)

• IU HPER-H401/H404 Instructor Profile

• Ivy Tech PAR-102 Course

• Ivy Tech EMT-Basic Fact Sheet (PDF)

• EMT Inc. "Standard" Course

• EMT Inc. Accelerated Course

• IUPUI EMER-E201/E202 Course

• St. Vincent Hospital Course

• State Course Schedule

(Opens New Window)

All IU students are encouraged to visit the safety section for information on campus and personal safety.

EMT-Basic Lab Spring 2007

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