Advanced Emergency Medical Technician - Not Fireline Qualified

Introduction

The AEMT emergency medical services (EMS) at the medical unit and/or other incident location as requested by the Incident Commander or representative

NOTE:  Some states may use the terminology for this position:  “EMT-Intermediate”.

General Description

The Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) typically performs a combination of basic and limited advanced lifesaving procedures focused on the initial management of injured and sick persons.  This position has the knowledge associated with, and is expected to be competent in all the skills of the EMT.  AEMTs are not independent practitioners and therefore must be supervised by a physician medical director.  Although many of the procedures that an AEMT is allowed to perform do not require real-time oversight by the supervising medical director, more complex decision making (such as that concerning patient disposition) must be made with consultation from the medical director.

While all AEMTs receive essentially the same training, the specific procedures that each individual AEMT is authorized to perform vary depending on the AEMT’s scope of practice.  An AEMT’s scope of practice contains only those procedures for which he or she is educated, certified (by passing an exam), credentialed (medical director grants “permission” to practice), and licensed by a state to perform.  Therefore, the scope of practice of an AEMT will vary by individual.

Position Knowledge and/or Requirements

The following is a list of the typical skills that an AEMT can perform:

• Airway Breathing
  • Using upper airway adjuncts, bag-valve-mask, manually triggered ventilators and automatic transportation ventilators for airway management.
  • Tracheobronchial suctioning of an already intubated patient.
• Pharmacological Interventions
  • Providing lifesaving medications with an auto-injector.
  • Helping a patient take his or her own prescribed medications.
  • Giving specific over-the-counter medications (with appropriate medical oversight).
  • Administer sublingual nitroglycerine to a patient experiencing chest pain of suspected ischemic origin.
  • Administer subcutaneous or intramuscular epinephrine to a patient in anaphylaxis.
  • Administer glucagon to a hypoglycemic patient.
  • Administer intravenous D50 to a hypoglycemic patient.
  • Administer inhaled beta agonists to a patient experiencing difficulty breathing and wheezing.
  • Administer a narcotic antagonist to a patient suspected of narcotic overdose.
  • Administer nitrous oxide for pain relief.
  • Establishing intravenous (IV) or intraosseous (IO) access to deliver fluids or medications.
• Using an automated external defibrillator.
• Trauma Care
  • Stabilizing suspected spinal injuries and extremity fractures.
  • Controlling bleeding.
  • Evacuation of a sick or injured patient using purpose made and improvised litters.
  • Appropriate triage of sick or injured patients in order to assist with the formulation of an evacuation plan.
  • Application and inflation of the pneumatic anti-shock garment (PASG) for fracture stabilization.

Position Requirements

• Current AEMT license (must be issued by the AEMTs home-state EMS licensing authority)
• Introduction to ICS (ICS-100)
• NIMS:   An Introduction (IS-700)
• No physical fitness level has been established for this position

Other Training which Supports Development of Knowledge and Skills

• Firefighter Training (S-130)
• Annual Fireline Safety Refresher (RT-130)
• Introduction to Wildland Fire (S-190)
• Human Factors in the Wildland Fire Service (S-180)
• Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (S-290)
• Basic Air Operations (S-270)
• Helicopter Crewmember (S-271)
• Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician