Advanced Emergency Medical Technician - Critical Care (AEMT-CC) is an EMS certification unique to New York State. The curriculum is comparable to that of the national standard EMT-I/99 (EMT-Intermediate - I/99). AEMT-CCs are ALS, or Advanced Life Support, Providers. Becoming an AEMT-CC involves a great deal of work. The pre-requisite is that a person must pocess a current EMT-Basic certification, although it is recommended that they also have at least one year of experience at that level. They must complete approximately 240 hours of classroom time, in which they learn Anatomy and Physiology, as well as signs, symptoms, and treatments relating to Trauma as well as medical emergencies including but not lmitied to Respiratory, Cardiac, Diebetic, and OB/GYN. While in class they must additionally spend time outside of the classroom observing in various clinical settings such as the ER, the OR, the CCU, with a Respiratory Therapist, or in Labor and Delivery. Also outside of the classroom during the course, the AEMT-CC student must be precepted doing many calls in the field by a AEMT-CC or Paramedic. Lastly, they pass a state practical skills exam and a state written exam. AEMT-CC skills include venous access, medication administration, endotracheal intubation, ECG interpretation, electrical cardiac therapy, needle chest decompression, intraosseous access, as well as all BLS or Basic life support skills. In areas where there are few Paramedics, due to scarcity of EMS providers or a lack of an accessible Paramedic class, Critical Care Technicians may be the highest level of pre-hospital care. AEMT-CCs, like all EMS providers, work under the proticols of medical direction whether it be in the form of standing orders or the contacting of medical control. New York has 18 regional EMS councils, some of which are comprised of a single county, while others are comprised of many counties. Each region must establish its own medical direction and as a result the proticols which providers in the field must follow vary based on the needs of the region. In some regions there is a big difference between Critical Care Technicians and Paramedics with regards to standing orders and skills allowed to be performed, while in others the two levels function on or very close to the same level. A major reason why people choose a Critical Care class as opposed to a Paramedic one, is that the amount of time required is significantly less. That makes the Critical Care level more appealing for volunteers who want to go beyond BLS, but don't intend on making a career out of EMS. Also, many Critical Care classes are offered through county EMS offices and are free to people who are active members of agencies within that county. Many Paramedic classes within New York are held through community colleges and therefore are costly not only in time, but also money due to the cost of tuition.

Sources

• New York State Department of Health Bureau of EMS Homepage
• New York State AEMT-CC Curriculum on the New York State Deptartment of Health Webpage

Emergency medicine