# ER tech considered EMT?



## Kaleb Griffin (Apr 22, 2015)

Hello all,

I am curious to know if working as an ER tech is considered "actively working and using the skills of an EMT" for recertification purposes.  Or do you actually have to work on an ambulance?  Because I know paramedics who I work with that work in the hospital setting and can recertify based on that.  Just curious.  I plan to volunteer a little bit, but I am already an ER tech.  I'm at a level one trauma center (not sure if that makes a difference or not).


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## COmedic17 (Apr 22, 2015)

If you hold a job that utilizes your certification, it counts.


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## Kaleb Griffin (Apr 22, 2015)

COmedic17 said:


> If you hold a job that utilizes your certification, it counts.


Thank you.  As for your recommendation of keeping the NREMT updated and not letting it lapse, I think I am going to give it a shot.


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## phideux (Apr 25, 2015)

It would vary here, hospital to hospital. Where I work, as a paramedic in the ER, we have our normal scope of practice, have access to monthly inservice etc. But here the  ER techs Don,t work under an EMT scope, or have any inservice available to them. Here the techs are pretty much just room cleaners and patient movers.


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## RefriedEMT (Apr 26, 2015)

phideux said:


> It would vary here, hospital to hospital. Where I work, as a paramedic in the ER, we have our normal scope of practice, have access to monthly inservice etc. But here the  ER techs Don,t work under an EMT scope, or have any inservice available to them. Here the techs are pretty much just room cleaners and patient movers.



Yea for Washington state it is completely different, you pretty much have to be an EMT/Phlebotomist to work as an er tech as well as you HAVE to be certified as a CNA to even be considered which is rather dumb IMO cuz EMTs are taught much more in training than any CNA all the while CNAs get to do more than an EMT in the ER. The training for CNAs is 30 days compared to EMTs being no less than 3 months.


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## Kaleb Griffin (Apr 26, 2015)

RefriedEMT said:


> Yea for Washington state it is completely different, you pretty much have to be an EMT/Phlebotomist to work as an er tech as well as you HAVE to be certified as a CNA to even be considered which is rather dumb IMO cuz EMTs are taught much more in training than any CNA all the while CNAs get to do more than an EMT in the ER. The training for CNAs is 30 days compared to EMTs being no less than 3 months.


I have been an ER tech for about a year at a level one trauma center.  None of our techs are EMT's, we are all just in nursing school.  One of the requirements of being hired was to have at least one clinical rotation.  We did not have to get a phlebotomy cert., we were just trained on the job.  We get to draw blood, do different kinds of splints, basic vital signs, EKG's, collect urine samples, clean and irrigate wounds, and assist the physician with procedures.  But other than that, it is not in our scope to do OPA/NPA, assess, or even give oxygen.  So I guess I can see where ER tech can not fulfill the requirements of an EMT.  I just like the idea of having inpatient and pre-hospital experience.


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## RefriedEMT (Apr 26, 2015)

Yea, i myself was considering getting the only thing left that i need for an er tech job in Washington state and thats the CNA cert. I thought it would be a good job to have to make a little extra money all the while volunteering as an emt as well as eventually moving into fire which would then cause me to dump all the others if it is a paid fire job.


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## Kaleb Griffin (Apr 26, 2015)

RefriedEMT said:


> Yea, i myself was considering getting the only thing left that i need for an er tech job in Washington state and thats the CNA cert. I thought it would be a good job to have to make a little extra money all the while volunteering as an emt as well as eventually moving into fire which would then cause me to dump all the others if it is a paid fire job.


Yeah, being an ER tech is pretty great, especially in lvl one trauma.  Being a CNA on a med/surg floor is just torture with the same things everyday.  I like the broader scope of practice in the ER.  The pay is definitely better than what an EMT gets too, which is good; but unfortunate for EMT's because they have just as tough a job as techs do.  The thought of being pre-hospital and having a little bit more autonomy intrigues me lol.


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## OhItzJimmy (May 7, 2015)

In SoCal I know the ER Techs are certified as EMT's.


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## DrParasite (May 8, 2015)

OhItzJimmy said:


> In SoCal I know the ER Techs are certified as EMT's.


Is being an EMT a job requirement? and is maintaining your EMT cert a job requirement?  

I know many cops that are EMTs, IT professionals that are EMTs, nurses that are EMTs, and I even know a priest who is a firefighter/EMT... doesn't mean it's a job requirements, only that they did it in additional to their primary job.


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## OhItzJimmy (May 8, 2015)

Yes you do have to be an EMT & maintain your Certifications & other certifications the hospital wants you to have.

Most cops do emt training for basic first aid, firefighters have to be EMT's before they can be a firefighter.


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## Jim37F (May 8, 2015)

Our base hospital uses EMTs in the ER...they call them EMTs, not ER Techs, their badges say EMT so I'd imagine they are required to maintain their EMT certs lol


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## Tigger (May 8, 2015)

Our ED techs here are required to have and maintain their EMT cards. Their name tags also include a little red EMT hanger as well.


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## MedicVA11 (May 8, 2015)

It varies, depending on the hospital system....the two hospital systems in my area require an EMT-B and/or second year in nursing school minimum for ED tech. Advanced ED techs have to have their medic cert. A hospital a little under an hour away only hires ALS providers for their ED....but it's a very large peds hospital.


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