Emergency Medical Technicians

High school health courses are a useful introduction to some of the concepts and terminology that EMTs use. You may also be able to take a first-aid class or training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Organizations such as the Red Cross can provide information on local training courses available. Read books about the field. Here is one suggestion: Prehospital Emergency Care, by Joseph J. Mistovich and Keith J. Karren. Additionally, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians offers a useful overview of this career at its Web site, http://www.naemt.org/about-ems.

Organizations such as Learning for Life (https://www.exploring.org/health-care), which is affiliated with Scouting America, offer programs that allow young people to explore health care careers. SkillsUSA (https://www.skillsusa.org) is a national membership organization for middle school, high school, and college students who are interested in pursuing careers in skilled service, technical, and trade careers. It offers competitions that allow young people to test their skills against others. Recent contests of interest to aspiring EMT's include Basic Health Care Skills, Emergency Medical Technician, First Aid/CPR, Health Knowledge Bowl, Medical Math, and Medical Terminology.