Updated May 4, 2015
Are you considering EMT training and wondering what the most important tasks are on an EMTs list of responsibilities? Here’s a list of the five important tasks:
1. Is this patient sick or not sick?
One of the most critical EMT responsibilities is assessing the medical needs of the sick or injured. This must be done quickly and efficiently, especially in serious life or death situations when a minute lost can mean the difference between saving someone or not.
In order to provide an accurate patient assessment, an EMT must remain composed enough to draw upon his or her training and experience. Sometimes making an assessment is relatively easy. An example would be when a child has fallen and broken their arm. The EMT stabilizes the broken bone, checks for shock or any other injuries and transports the child to the hospital so the bone can be X-rayed and set.
A more difficult assessment would be a motor vehicle collision where multiple people are injured. Then, the EMT must perform triage to decide who is in the most dire need of help and administer aid to save that person before responding to the others.
Learn more patient assessment tips for new EMS providers.
2. What are the patient’s vital signs?
Another one of the top EMT responsibilities involves taking vital signs of the sick or injured. The first of the basic vital signs is level of consciousness or LOC.
- Is the patient conscious or unconscious?
- Is the patient awake and able to communicate?
- Do they respond to physical stimulation?
The second vital sign is respiration.
- Is the patient breathing? If not, swift intervention must occur to save them.
- Is their breathing weak or labored and rasping? This can indicate their condition.
The next step is to take their pulse to see if their heart is still pumping blood through their veins. If no pulse, immediate steps must be taken to assess the cardiac rhythm and defibrillate the the heart with an AED.
The condition of the patient’s skin is another vital sign.
- Color is important. Are they flushed, jaundiced, pale or bluish?
- What is their skin temperature – hot, cold or clammy?
- Dry or heavily perspiring?
These skin condition findings can indicate the severity of the patient’s illness and guide the EMT toward a medical assessment.
Their pupils are another vital sign.
- Are they dilated or restricted?
- How do they respond to light?
If the patient has constricted pupils, inadequate ventilation and reduced level of consciousness suspect an opioid overdose.
Blood pressure is also a vital sign. If their blood pressure is extremely high or low, measures must be taken to remediate.
Learn more tips for blood pressure auscultation and palpation.
3. What is the patient’s history?
Taking a SAMPLE history is another of the top five important EMT responsibilities. SAMPLE stands for:
S – Signs and symptoms
A – Allergies
M – Medications
P – Pertinent past medical history
L – Last oral intake
E – Events leading to injury/illness
Learn more tips for collecting a patient history.
4. How are you going to move the patient?
Properly moving patients is also one of the most important EMT responsibilities. EMTs must always lift and carry patients in a manner that insures their safety. They must also take steps to insure their own safety and avoidance of injury. Proper lifting and moving methods include using at least two people, making sure the patient is properly secured to the stretcher, cot or stair chair. coordinating movements with other EMS providers and using the correct lifting techniques.
Learn more tips for safely lifting patients.
5. How are you going to handle your stress?
Maintaining composure in critical and stressful situations in another of the top EMT responsibilities. These can include mass casualty incidents, emotionally charged situations, the death of injury of children, incidents of violence or the death or injury of a friend, relative or coworker. An EMT must also realize when their mental state is affected by job stress and take appropriate actions to get help. Some of the indications of being overly stressed are insomnia, nightmares, anger, disorientation, panic attacks, depression, memory loss and increased alcohol use.
Learn more tips to meet your fitness, wellness, and diet goals, why EMS providers should never tolerate being attacked and how to prevent and cure burnout.
