EMT-B:

The EMT-B is the cornerstone of the emergency medical system. All prehospital professionals, regardless of their level of certification, are trained to perform the basic skills first:

One-and two-person CPR
Splinting of upper and lower extremities
Conscious and unconscious infant obstructed airway
Fractures/dislocations
Conscious and unconscious child and adult obstructed airway|
Patient assessment
Patient lifting
Vital signs, including B/P via auscultation and palpation
Infant CPR
O2 administration
Peripheral pulses and pressure points
Use of bag-valve-mask resuscitator (1-person and 2-person)
Oropharyngeal airway
Suction of adult, child and infant
Bandage upper and lower extremities
Airway maintenance with and without spinal injury precautions
Tourniquet
Epistaxis control
Management of hyperventilation
Spinal immobilization (short and long board)
Application of pneumatic anti-shock garment (PASG)*
Maintenance of intravenous fluid lines
Orotracheal intubation*
Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)*
Sterile suction*
EMT-administered medications (O2, activated charcoal*, ipecac*, instant glucose*)
EMT patient-assisted medications* (nitroglycerin, epi auto-injectors, prescribed inhalers) 

The EMT-B course provides candidates with the medical knowledge to permit them to give care to the critically ill and injured at the scene and en route to a medical facility. The courses are taught at local technical colleges, vocational schools, and selected colleges and universities.

 Each EMT-B candidate must meet the following course entrance requirements:

 Must be physically fit and able to perform all the tasks required of an EMT.

High school diploma or GED.

Must be eighteen years of age prior to completing the EMT course. Students who are not  eighteen years of age at the time the course is completed will not be tested and, consequently, not certified as EMTs.

Must be able to read and write, and other prerequisites as required by the specific training institution.

* These skills require the EMT-B to be affiliated with a S.C. licensed EMS agency and to gain authority via standing orders or on-line direction from the provider’s medical control physician prior to initiating these skills.

In order to obtain state certification, the EMT-B student must:

Attend sufficient lessons to meet the minimum attendance requirements.
Be able to perform all of the required skills to the satisfaction of the instructor.
Pass the in-course examinations with a weighted average grade of 70 percent or above.
Successfully complete the state written examination with a score of 70 percent or higher.
Successfully complete the state practical skills examination.
Must have current BLS card by the end of the course.

 The 139 hour EMT-B course, is based on the current Department of Transportation (DOT) curriculum. In addition to the 110-hour curriculum of DOT, additional hours are included for advanced airway, CPR, infection control, pneumatic anti-shock garments, and IV maintenance, for a total of 139 hours of didactic and skills instruction. The hours required for this clinical experience are in addition to the 139 required didactic hours and can be served either in an ambulance or a hospital emergency department. During their clinical experience, all candidates must complete five full patient assessments and document these assessments on the state Ambulance Run Reports.

 The EMT-B course lesson plan is structured as follows:

 COURSE OVERVIEW

(Module numbers refer to the order they are found in the S. C. curriculum.)

Module 1: Preparatory 13 hours
Enrichment Module 1A: Infection Control 3 hours
Enrichment Module 1B: Hazardous Materials 3 hours
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 8 hours

Module 2: Airway 7 hours

Module 3: Patient Assessment 21 hours

Module 4: Medical 32 hours

Module 5: Trauma 19 hours
Enrichment Module 5A: IV Maintenance 1.5 hours
Enrichment Module 5B: PASG 1.5 hours

Module 6: Infants and Children 7 hours

Module 7: Operations 4 hours

Module 8: Advanced Airway 12 hours

Final Evaluation: Written 2 hours

Final Evaluation: Practical 5 hours

Total (minimum) hours 139 hours

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