Description:
Licensed emergency medical services (EMS) providers are the backbone of Maine’s EMS system. An EMS provider in Maine may work full-time for a municipal or private EMS service, be employed as a firefighter/emergency medical technician (EMT) with a local fire department or volunteer with one of the many other Maine-licensed ambulance services or non-transporting EMS services in the State. Regardless of volunteer or employment status, each EMS provider must meet State training, testing and licensing requirements in order to practice emergency medical care in Maine.
Career Pathways and Educational Requirements:
First Responder (FR) and EMT-Basic (EMT-B) are the Basic Life Support (BLS) entry levels for persons seeking to become licensed EMS provider in Maine. From the BLS levels, EMS providers may continue their training to become Intermediate Life Support (ILS) providers at the EMT- Intermediate (EMT-I) level and Advanced Life Support (ALS) providers at the EMT-Paramedic (EMT-P) level.
First Responder (FR): Maine EMS licensed First Responders operate in the pre-hospital environment to perform basic lifesaving interventions under limited supervision usually before the ambulance arrives. Licensed First Responders may perform the following skills in Maine when a member of an authorized Maine EMS service:
- Oxygen administration
- Use of basic airway devices
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
- Assist in uncomplicated childbirth
- Spinal immobilization (long boards only)
- Application of simple extremity splints
- Simple, emergency patient moves
- Vital signs assessment
- Control bleeding
Emergency Medical Technician – Basic: EMT – Basic (EMT-B) is considered the entry-level point for the majority of EMS providers in Maine. A person must be licensed (at least) as an EMT-B in order to provide unsupervised care in the patient compartment of an ambulance. The EMT-B curriculum includes medical emergencies, trauma emergencies, pediatrics, obstetrics, EMS operations, special patient populations, and others. The Maine Spinal Assessment Program is also included in the EMT-B curriculum. EMT-B students must also complete observational clinical time in the hospital Emergency Department (ED) and an EMS agency “ride-along.” Licensed EMT-Bs may perform the following skills:
- Oxygen administration
- Use of basic airway devices
- CPR
- Use of an AED
- Emergency childbirth
- Spinal immobilization
- Application of simple extremity splints and traction splints
- Vital signs, patient physical assessment and history taking
- Care for amputated parts
- Control bleeding
- Dealing with special patient populations (pediatrics, geriatrics)
- Assist the patient with self-administration of the patient’s own prescribed medications – limited to nitroglycerin, EpiPen, or metered-dose inhalers as directed by On-line Medical Control (OLMC)
- Administration of Aspirin with On-line Medical Control (OLMC) direction to patients experiencing ischemic type chest pain
- Administration of oral glucose preparations to the conscious patient experiencing a diabetic emergency
Emergency Medical Technician – Intermediate: EMT–Intermediates provide all the care authorized at the EMT-Basic (EMT-B) level as well as limited intermediate life support (ILS) interventions. The Maine EMS EMT-Intermediate curriculum includes: advanced airway management, single lead electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, medical emergencies, trauma management, intravenous/intraosseous (IV/IO) therapy, basic pharmacology, and ALS operations. Clinical rotations occur both in the hospital and field. Hospital clinical includes rotations in the ED, OR, ICU, IV team, and Respiratory Therapy. Hospital clinical time is designed to build on skills learned in the classroom and lab settings, as students begin to apply newly learned therapies under the supervision of a preceptor. Field clinical time focuses on developing the student into a functioning field ALS provider. Decision-making, skill performance, and team management skills are assessed during this phase. The focused nature of the curriculum allows the EMT-Intermediate to perform the following low risk, high benefit ILS skills in the prehospital setting:
- ECG monitoring (limited rhythms)
- Manual defibrillation
- Oral endotracheal intubation
- Other advanced airway management options (per protocols)
- Limited medication administration (most with On-line Medical Control direction)
- Intravenous (IV) insertion
- Intraosseous (IO) insertion
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) *
- 12-lead ECG acquisition *
* For those who have successfully completed this Maine EMS approved upgrade training
Emergency Medical Technician – Paramedic: EMT-Paramedic is the highest level of EMS provider in Maine. The EMT-Paramedic possesses advanced assessment, treatment and patient-management skills and knowledge. As in the EMT-Intermediate training program, the EMT-Paramedic student must complete a significant didactic and clinical education program. The EMT-P program provides a more in-depth course of study of the topics covered in both the EMT-B and EMT-I programs and also includes: pathophysiology, advanced patient assessment, advanced pharmacology, cardiac emergencies, respiratory emergencies, neurological emergencies, endocrine emergencies, trauma assessment, and ALS operations. Clinical rotations occur both in the hospital and field. Hospital clinical includes rotations in the ED, OR, ICU, IV team, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Respiratory Therapy, Labor and Delivery, Psychiatry, Geriatrics, Civic leadership, and electives. Field clinical time is designed to allow the student to start to gain mastery of the necessary prehospital skills under the evaluation and guidance of a paramedic preceptor. Maine EMS licensed Paramedics are permitted under the Maine EMS Prehospital Treatment Protocols and Maine EMS Rules to provide all the skills of the other licensure levels plus:
- Endotracheal intubation (oral, nasal, or digital)
- Needle cricothyrotomy
- Surgical cricothyrotomy
- Needle thoracostomy
- Synchronized cardioversion
- Medication administration
- 12 lead acquisition and interpretation
- Transcutaneous pacing
- CPAP *
* For those who have successfully completed this Maine EMS approved upgrade training.
Wages:
The average annual salary in Maine for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics is $30,210 and the average hourly rate is $14.52.
Helpful Links and Resources:
State of Maine EMS Website.
Maine EMS Upcoming Education and Training Schedule.
Foster Technology Center EMT Program.
May 2010 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates Report.
