To be an emergency medical technician
By Perry Gil S. Mallari, Reporter

It looks like an exciting action job as seen on television. But being an emergency medical technician (EMT) demands more than just first aid skills and takes nerves of steel and a fit body. An EMT is a healthcare provider skilled in the administration of pre-hospital emergency medical services. In plain words, the job of an EMT is to keep the patient alive and stabilize his condition until he gets to a hospital. EMTs are usually employed by a private ambulance service or by an allied service of a police or fire department.

The training and certification of EMTs vary from country to country. In the Philippines, the leading provider of education for this profession is the Philippine Society of Emergency Medical Technicians (PSEMT) with a training center in Quezon City. Marineth Mamawag, a staff of PSEMT told The Manila Times that the basic EMT certification course they offer lasts for seven weeks, “The basic admission requirement is that the applicant must at least had attained a third year college education and is physically fit,” she says. The rigorous course covers everything from code of conduct, infection control to various life support techniques.

Vladimir Cruz, a seasoned EMT working with the Quezon City Rescue Department for the past 10 years, says that at least a second year college education and an EMT certification is what is required to gain work entry into their department. Cruz emphasizes the importance of maintaining optimum fitness in a line of work where you have to transport heavy and unconscious patients. “We try to catch up on sleep particularly after being on the field for several nights in succession,” he narrates, adding, “We also conduct our own scenario training and fitness programs to remain in shape.”

Cruz said that victims pinned inside their vehicles after a car crash is one of the toughest emergency calls to respond to. He said that the tricky part is providing life support to the victim while he is being extracted from the vehicle. Cruz said that in such cases, they usually ask help from an extraction team equipped with special tools like hydraulic cutters.

In a job where lives are literally in their hands, Cruz states that the lack of proper equipment is the greatest hindrance to success. He hopes that the government will do something about it. “As of now, we have a 15-year old ambulance that is not working,” he laments.

The veteran EMT has also witnessed the changes happening in his chosen profession through the years, “EMTs are now very in demand in other countries and half of my batch mates have already left to work abroad,” he said.

Cruz opted to stay and hopes that things would soon turn for the better for EMTs working in the Philippines. Meanwhile, he is up and ready to respond to the next emergency call.