EMT (Full-Time)

About the role

An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) provides Basic Life Support (BLS) services for both emergency and non-emergency requests for service assigned by the appropriate dispatch authority in a timely, professional manner. This role ensures the safe and prompt transportation of patients while delivering care in various settings, including emergency and non-emergency transport, standby events, and special events. The EMT must integrate care seamlessly with emergency agencies (police, fire, ALS, BLS) and healthcare providers in inpatient and outpatient settings. Patient care reports are required for each patient encounter. Daily operational tasks support departmental functions. All actions must comply with New Jersey State Regulations (N.J.A.C. 8:40) and Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) protocols, policies, and procedures.

The position requires flexibility, critical thinking, and the ability to work in hazardous or uncontrolled environments while wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Responsibilities

• Respond to calls in a timely manner.
• Assist and support public safety personnel and healthcare providers during patient care.
• Assess patients and provide pre-hospital basic life support treatment based on their condition.
• Observe and report pertinent changes in patient condition or behavior to other clinicians during care and at handoff.
• Attend to patient needs promptly, ensuring comfort in all weather conditions during transport.
• Identify and address the specific needs of diverse patient populations (e.g., age, culture, language, sensory impairments).
• Communicate effectively with patients, families, and caregivers at their developmental, educational, and literacy levels.
• Obtain essential data from patients, families, and other sources to provide effective pre-hospital care.
• Perform thorough physical examinations and document interventions as indicated.
• Report pertinent medical information to the medical control physician in an organized manner and provide updates as necessary.
• Operate motor vehicles safely and professionally, complying with all laws, rules, and HMH policies for emergency vehicle operation.
• Alternate driving responsibilities reasonably with partners.
• Perform and document daily vehicle and equipment checks, ensuring no hazards exist before operation.
• Maintain adequate fuel and fluid levels in vehicles.
• Keep the vehicle interior clean and free of trash and debris.
• Demonstrate safe and appropriate use of all vehicle equipment and secure the vehicle when unattended.
• Operate wireless communication devices professionally to accept dispatches and obtain medical control.
• Participate in HMH’s Quality Assurance program to evaluate care quality, document trends, resolve problems, and monitor patient outcomes.
• Provide complete verbal handoff when transferring care to receiving healthcare providers per HMH policy.
• Complete patient care reports in a timely manner for each patient contact, adhering to HMH policy and applicable statutes.
• Alternate documentation responsibilities reasonably with partners.
• Document and report unusual events, incidents, or occurrences according to HMH policy.
• Troubleshoot, maintain, and clean EMS equipment, vehicles, and station facilities; report equipment failures promptly.
• Maintain par levels of necessary supplies, including equipment and supplies stocked in vehicles and quarters.
• Dispose of soiled linen and regulated medical waste according to HMH policy.
• Provide education within the scope and training of an EMT, as directed by leadership.
• Maintain baseline and continuing knowledge of HMH policies, procedures, and applicable state/federal regulations.
• Ensure all required certifications are current and submitted to leadership; notify leadership immediately if a certification cannot be validated.
• Maintain clinical competency through required training and patient care quality reviews.
• Provide excellent customer service and initiate service recovery when necessary.
• Adhere to HMH’s Code of Conduct and Standards of Behavior, maintaining professionalism to uphold HMH’s reputation.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

• High School diploma, general equivalency diploma (GED), or equivalent.
• Completion of the following Incident Command System (ICS) courses:
  • ICS-100 or ICS-100.b or Introduction to Incident Command System for Healthcare/Hospitals.
  • ICS-200 or ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents or Applying ICS to Healthcare Organizations.
  • ICS-700.a or NIMS-700: National Incident Management System (NIMS) An Introduction.
  • IS-800.D: National Response Framework, An Introduction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite platforms.

Qualifications

• Current NJ Emergency Medical Technician certification, or current National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians - EMT Basic certification, or certification from a state with direct reciprocity with New Jersey (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, or New York). Non-NJ EMTs must obtain NJ certification within 6 months of hire.
• AHA Basic Life Support Health Care Provider Certification or BLS Instructor Certification.
• Valid Driver’s License from a U.S. state.
• CEVO Certified Emergency Vehicle Operator training or EVOC Emergency Vehicle Operations Course within 90 days of hire.
• HUMC Only:
  • International Trauma Life Support, Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Tactical Casualty Combat Care, or Tactical Emergency Casualty Care certification within 6 months of hire.
  • Hazardous Materials Awareness.
  • EMS Hazardous Materials Operations or equivalent within 90 days of hire.

Preferred: Two years of BLS experience; 911 experience preferred.

Working Conditions

• Capable of performing all listed duties throughout the assigned shift.
• Physically capable of:
  • Driving an emergency vehicle in compliance with statutes and regulations, in all lighting and weather conditions.
  • Lifting and moving a fully loaded ambulance stretcher (stretcher/patient/equipment/supplies) weighing at least 350 pounds from ground level to ambulance patient compartment level, holding for 60 seconds, and safely placing it in the ambulance (and reversing the process) with the assistance of one partner.
  • Carrying half of the required EMS equipment (approximately 50 lbs.) from the vehicle to the patient (distances up to ½ mile in certain circumstances) without assistance.
  • Performing fine motor skills in a moving ambulance without causing injury or pain to patients (e.g., placement of an oral airway).
  • Visualizing small objects in poor lighting in confined spaces (e.g., assessing a patient’s pupils in a moving ambulance).
  • Walking extended distances without rest while carrying heavy equipment (e.g., transferring a patient from an ambulance to a hospital).
  • Hearing faint noises in uncontrolled environments (e.g., auscultating a patient’s blood pressure in a moving ambulance).
  • Writing legibly in English using various methods (e.g., email, text messaging, patient care reporting software, pen and paper).
  • Verbally communicating in English clearly and with sufficient volume in loud environments (e.g., obtaining directions from dispatch or communicating with patients/other providers in a moving ambulance).

Pay

The posted rate of pay is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting, in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act. The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of a specific offer. Posted hourly rates may be stated as an annual salary in the offer, and posted annual salaries may be stated as an hourly rate.