Studies & Degrees in Emergency Medical Technology
Emergency medical technology is the training of the people who give medical care before a patient reaches hospital. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics assess injuries and illnesses, provide emergency care at the scene and may transport patients to a medical facility, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The name of the job and the level of the qualification differ from country to country: EMT and paramedic in the United States, paramedic in the United Kingdom, técnico en emergencias sanitarias in Spain.
Students learn to assess a patient's condition, to manage respiratory, cardiac and trauma emergencies, to give basic life support, to immobilise and move patients safely and to use the equipment of an ambulance. Programmes combine classroom teaching with practice in hospitals and ambulances.
Qualifications and levels
United States. Training is organised in levels, and each level allows more procedures.
- EMT (also called EMT-Basic): cares for patients at the scene and during ambulance transport. Programmes typically take less than one year, according to the BLS.
- Advanced EMT (EMT-Intermediate): adds more advanced procedures, such as administering intravenous fluids and some medications. Training takes up to two years.
- Paramedic: gives the most extensive prehospital care, including a wider range of medications, advanced airway management and the interpretation of electrocardiograms. Paramedics typically need work experience as an EMT before they enter a paramedic programme.
Applicants usually need a high school diploma or equivalent and certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most programmes at community colleges lead to a certificate (a non-degree award) or an associate's degree, and some four-year universities offer a bachelor's degree. The College of Southern Idaho shows how the levels map onto qualifications: its basic technical certificate covers the EMT level, its intermediate certificate the Advanced EMT level, and its Associate of Applied Science the coursework needed to sit the national paramedic certification.
All US states require EMTs and paramedics to be licensed, and requirements vary by state: most require certification, others an equivalent state exam. National certification comes from the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, which asks for a state-approved course that meets the national education standards and a cognitive and a psychomotor (practical) exam.
Spain. The official qualification is the Técnico en Emergencias Sanitarias, an intermediate vocational training (FP de grado medio) diploma of 2,000 hours. Access requires the compulsory secondary education certificate or a higher qualification, or an entrance test. Holders give basic life support, move and evacuate patients, help medical and nursing staff with advanced life support and answer calls in emergency coordination centres.
United Kingdom. Paramedics need an approved degree in paramedic science, or a degree apprenticeship, and must register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). According to NHS Health Careers, the degree usually takes three or four years full time.
Lifeguarding and water rescue, which share first-aid content with this field, are separate qualifications. In Spain they belong to sports education, with the title Técnico Deportivo en Salvamento y Socorrismo.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 51 active schools for emergency medical technology. Thirty-nine are in the United States and five in Spain; Russia has two, and Argentina, Czechia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ukraine have one each.
In the United States most of the schools are public community and technical colleges, among them the College of Southern Idaho, Piedmont Technical College in South Carolina, Century College in Minnesota and Broward College in Florida. In Spain the list includes the distance-learning institution Formación Universitaria and the business school of the Universidad de Alicante; in Argentina, Fundación CIEP in Villa María.
Programmes are taught in the language of the country, because the work means talking to patients and writing reports. A licence or diploma is also national: a US state licence or a Spanish FP diploma does not by itself give the right to work in another country, so students who plan to work abroad should ask the health authority of that country how it recognises foreign training.
Careers
Graduates work in ambulance services, fire and rescue services, hospital emergency departments, emergency call and coordination centres and private patient transport. In the United States, emergency medical technicians held about 181,900 jobs and paramedics about 102,200 jobs in 2025, according to the BLS; ambulance services employed 46 percent of the EMTs. The BLS projects overall employment of EMTs and paramedics to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035. Schedules include nights, weekends and holidays, and the work can be physically strenuous.
With further study, paramedics move into other health professions. The BLS mentions paramedic-to-RN programmes as an accelerated route to becoming a registered nurse.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an EMT and a paramedic?
The level of training and of care. An EMT manages emergencies and gives basic care at the scene and in the ambulance. A paramedic has completed EMT training first and can give a wider range of medications, manage the airway with advanced techniques and interpret electrocardiograms.
Do I need a university degree?
Not in the United States or Spain, where the entry routes are a certificate or a vocational diploma. In the United Kingdom a paramedic needs an approved degree and HCPC registration.
Can I work in another country with my qualification?
Not automatically. Licences are issued by each US state and by each country, so foreign training has to be recognised by the authority of the place where you want to work.