What is EMS?
EMS stands for emergency medical services. EMS practitioners provide prehospital emergency medical care. People call EMS when they have had an accident or are experiencing a medical emergency, including heart attack, difficulty breathing, a fall or accident, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdose or acute illness. EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of an emergency and en route to a hospital.
Who Provides EMS?
When a person becomes ill or injured and dials 911, the call is answered by an EMS dispatcher, who is trained to obtain key information from the caller about the location and type of emergency. The dispatcher also may give the caller patient care instructions while sending emergency responders to the scene of the emergency.
These responders include:
- Emergency Medical Responders
- Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
- Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians
- Paramedics
What Skills Does an EMT Perform?
EMTs can perform CPR, artificial ventilations, oxygen administration, basic airway management, defibrillation using an AED, spinal immobilization, monitoring of vital signs and bandaging/splinting. They also may administer nitroglycerin, glucose, epinephrine and albuterol in special circumstances.
What Skills Does a Paramedic Perform?
A paramedic has extensive training in patient assessment and participates in a variety of clinical experiences during training. He or she can perform all of the skills performed by an EMT, plus advanced airway management such as endotracheal intubation, electrocardiographs (ECGs), insertion of intravenous lines, administration of numerous emergency medications, and assessment of ECG tracings and defibrillation.
From the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians