Careers in paramedic which you should be aware of in 2021

EMT and paramedic careers open up a world of possibilities and lucrative opportunities for professionals driven to help and uplift others. EMS is a rapidly advancing and growing field, and eager and passionate individuals can explore a wealth of opportunities. If you want to help and uplift people every day, you can pursue many rewarding career paths.

Many EMT professionals build their skills as paramedics, while others switch careers to become doctors, physician assistants, and even nurses. As a medical first responder, you can advance your career to enjoy stability, security, and flexible working hours. Paramedics can switch careers as police medics, flight medics, firefighters, military medics, and full-time medical professionals.

Keep reading to explore paramedic careers expected to grow in 2021.

Emergency Room Technicians

There’s a growing demand for medical first responders across hospitals and healthcare facilities. First responders are highly-skilled and capable of handling the pressure and fast-paced management required in emergency rooms. ER technicians are no different than emergency medical technicians. Both professionals are the first line of medical defense in helping people with accidents or chronic illnesses.

EMTs travel to give life support and medical care to patients, while ER technicians handle patients who arrive at hospitals. These professionals work across clinic and hospital emergency rooms, with an average yearly income of $63,000. In 2021, ER technicians are poised to enjoy tremendous job growth, security, and increased demand.

Fire Aid & Prevention

Many EMT and paramedic professionals gravitate towards firefighting careers. These professionals fight to contain fires and help save lives by rescuing people in high-risk situations. Naturally, firefighters require specialized skills with extensive physical and mental training. Firefighting teams also need medical professionals to dispense immediate medical attention and relief to the affected people.

As a skilled and efficient firefighter paramedic, you will work in high-risk situations to prevent life loss and injuries. These paramedics are also involved in community awareness and fire prevention programs. Aside from treating burns and delivering first-aid, they also spread awareness and help their community adopt safety measures. As of 2021, the average annual pay for a fire prevention officer in the US is $47,591 per annum.

Physician’s Assistant

If you’re aspiring to switch to a full-time medical career, here’s a lucrative career path. A physician assistant enjoys higher financial stability, organizational significance, and job security. However, this career path comes with an enormous amount of responsibility. Therefore, it also requires advanced training and higher education, you may need help preparing your resume.

Working as a paramedic ideally positions you to train as a physician’s assistant and advance your career with greater financial independence. Physician assistants work closely with doctors, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals to dispense quality care. They are actively involved in diagnosing illnesses, designing treatments, and administering patient care.

In many communities, physician assistants are hired to address the shortage of trained clinical physicians. These professionals enjoy great responsibility and significance, usually working in clinics and hospitals. On average, they earn an annual salary of $112,000.

Surgical Technologist

If surgical expertise fascinates you, consider pursuing a career as a surgical technologist. As an EMT professional, you can advance your education and training to work as a surgical technologist in hospitals. You will work in surgical teams and assist surgeons in performing highly-sophisticated operations.

However, surgical technologists are not directly involved in the surgery itself. Instead, their job is to disinfect the operation theatre, sterilize all tools and equipment, and swab patients before and after. They are also responsible for ensuring all surgical instruments and supplies are available when needed.

In the absence of surgical staff, technologists assist surgeons by handing out instruments as required. As a paramedic, this is an ideal career path as many of the responsibilities are overlapping. Your experience as an EMT will speed up the training process. On average, surgical technologists earn over $50,000 with high job security and growth potential.

Health Information Technician

If you’re looking for a career switch to reduce direct engagement with patients, here’s a lucrative choice. Health information technicians do not engage with patients directly. Instead, they are responsible for organizing, processing, and analyzing patient care information. Essentially, this is a desk job that doesn’t involve high-risk situations, stressful work environments, and life-and-death scenarios.

As an EMT, you have a higher potential to grow and enjoy financial stability as a health information technician. These professionals organize and process information related to billing, patient medical history, insurance details, and more. EMT specialists and paramedics are already familiar with most of the responsibilities involved in this career path.

Health information technicians work across clinics, hospitals, and private practices. On average, these professionals earn an annual salary of $44,000. Your EMT certification will speed up the academic training. Most employers require health information technicians with an associate degree or postsecondary training certification.

Conclusions

Paramedics and EMT specialists work across multiple industries, organizations, and facilities. An EMT certification and training can open up several lucrative career paths that offer financial stability and job security.

It’s natural for a paramedic to seek out more rewarding careers and that offer financial stability. Working in high-risk, life-and-death scenarios can prove emotionally draining and exhaustingly stressful. It’s crucial to seek networking opportunities to connect with industry leaders and healthcare professionals to explore career advancement opportunities.

Higher education and advanced training are of the utmost significance to advance your career and increase your marketability.