If the latest government-issued statistics are any indication, training for a job in the Emergency Services field, like a role as a Bay Area EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), is bound to be a smart investment in your professional future.
According to a recent brief issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of Americans requiring emergency room visits and related services is rising sharply across the country. The brief, published this May on the federal agency’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) website, summarizes nationwide statistics on emergency services for 2007.
The brief, titled “Emergency Department Visitors and Visits: Who Used the Emergency Room in 2007?,” states:
“In 2007, approximately one in five persons in the U.S. population had one or more ED visits in a 12-month period.”
Specifically, the agency identifies people aged 75 and older and adults over 18 reporting “fair or poor health status” as having the most emergency department visits in 2007.
The brief also cites the CDC’s 2006 full-length report on emergency department visits as providing evidence of the recent pressure on emergency services to meet rising public demand. From 1996 to 2006, the number of emergency department visits is reported to have increased 32 percent, from 90.3 million annual visits to 119.2 million.
What do these reports and figures mean if you’re considering a job as an EMT in Milpitas or as a San Francisco Paramedic? If the CDC’s ‘06 and ‘07 statistics are a sign of what’s to come, then the demand for complex emergency medical care will likely increase dramatically, particularly among the rapidly expanding population of aging Americans.
As the need for emergency services continues to grow, the number of job opportunities for qualified EMTs and paramedics is likely to increase significantly. Besides the potential for excellent career security, the emergency services field also provides an invaluable public service. As the CDC summarizes in its May brief:
“EDs [emergency departments] provide a critical service to persons in need of immediate, often life-saving, treatment and are a major component of the health care system.”
Whether you’re interested in becoming a Northern California EMT, or a San Jose-based Paramedic, the time has never been better to start training for an exciting and fulfilling new career! Find out today how Unitek’s quality EMT training program can help you land a rewarding role in the expanding emergency services field.
For additional information on the Center For Disease Control and its National Center for Health Statistics website, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db38.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db38.pdf
