What is the difference between a Paramedic and EMT?
Paramedics are medically certified professionals trained to deliver advanced life support services (ALS) to patients suffering heart attacks, strokes or other life threatening conditions. They may insert tubes, administer medications, and perform medical procedures normally reserved for the hospital. This type of care is vital to such patients’ survival and, when provided at the scene of the crisis, provides the best chance for reducing long term disability associated with critical medical and trauma emergencies.
EMTs or ambulance crews are certified only to administer basic life support services (BLS), such as splinting and CPR. While their services are often enough for routine cases such as fractures and minor injuries and are very important in critical emergencies when they team-up with paramedics, their level of training alone is insufficient for seriously ill or traumatized patients.
Under New Jersey law, only EMTs are allowed to transport patients to a hospital; Paramedics are prohibited. This restriction, combined with Medicare’s ‘single billing’ rule where only the EMTs are allowed to bill Medicare for their services, has led to a dire situation for New Jersey’s advanced life saving Paramedics and for the citizens they serve.
