Questions to Ask an EMT
Questions to ask an EMT, in two parts. The first three groups are for the moment an ambulance crew is in your home or at the roadside: what to ask the EMT treating you or someone you are with about what they think is going on, which hospital they are heading for, what to bring and what to do once they leave. The last three are for a calmer day, when you are a student, a neighbor or a would-be recruit asking an EMT about the work, the training and what the rest of us should know before we ever have to call.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
On scene
Do you need me out of the way, or is there something I can do?
Why ask it
A crowded room slows a crew down, and this tells them you will go wherever is useful. The jobs they tend to hand out are small ones: hold the door, shut the dog in a bedroom, find the medications, clear a path for the stretcher.
What do you need to know from me first?
Why ask it
Their questions come before yours, and they tend to run in a set order: what happened, when it began, allergies, medicines, medical history. Short answers in that order help more than the whole story told from the top, and if you did not see it happen, say who did.
What do you think is going on, and what worries you most right now?
Why ask it
A crew works from an impression, and the firm diagnosis waits for hospital tests, so expect to hear what they are treating and what they are watching for. The second half of the question is the one that tells you how serious they think it is.
What are you giving her, and what is it for?
Why ask it
Hearing the drug's name gives you the chance to mention an allergy, or a dose she already took this morning, while it still matters. Ask as they prepare it, without stepping in the way, and repeat the name back if you are the one who will be talking to the hospital.
Can you do anything for his pain before you move him?
Why ask it
The move is often the worst part: the stairs, the stretcher, the bumps in the road. What a crew can give depends on its level and its protocols, but a splint, some padding or a slower lift may be possible even where drugs are not, and asking before the lift is how they get offered.
Are you EMTs or paramedics, and is another unit on its way?
Why ask it
Where the line between the two sits is written into local protocol, so the answer tells you what can be done in your living room and what has to wait. If a second unit is coming, or meeting the ambulance on the road, a pause at the curb stops looking like stalling.
What are her vital signs, and are they getting better or worse?
Why ask it
Blood pressure, oxygen level, heart rate and blood sugar are the readings a crew says out loud as it works. One figure means little to most of us, so ask about the direction: holding steady, improving or slipping is an answer anyone can follow.
Do you want his medication list and allergies now, or will the hospital take them?
Why ask it
Hand over whatever is written down, since many crews copy it into their report or pass it on at the hospital door. If there is no list, put the actual bottles in a bag and send them along.
Is it all right to give her a drink or her usual pills, or should I wait?
Why ask it
Ask before anything goes in by mouth, including the pills she always takes at this hour. Crews often want the stomach left alone until the hospital has decided what is needed, and they will say so if her case is an exception.
She has a do-not-resuscitate order. Do you need to see the paperwork now?
Why ask it
A crew can only follow an order it has seen, and which forms count differs by state and country. Say it early, hand over the original or a clear copy instead of describing it, and ask whether the form rides with her to the hospital.
He has dementia and strangers frighten him. How do you want me to help?
Why ask it
Describe his ordinary day before anyone concludes he is newly confused, because the crew can only judge today against a normal that you know and they do not. Then expect a small job: stay where he can see you, repeat their questions in your own voice, hold his hand while the cuff goes on. The same question works for a relative who is deaf or speaks another language.
Can I stay next to my child while you work?
Why ask it
Crews generally want a parent close, since a child who can see you is easier to examine and easier to settle. Ask where to sit and whether to hold him, and keep your own voice low, because he will read the room from your face before theirs.
How are you getting her out of the house, and what should I move?
Why ask it
Stairs, tight landings and a car blocking the driveway become the crew's problem the minute they decide to transport. Offer to shift the hall table, prop the doors and move the car, and leave the lifting itself to them.
Hospital
Does she need the emergency room, or is there another option?
Why ask it
Some services can treat a patient at home, point you to urgent care or set up a follow-up visit, and some can only transport or leave. You are asking which of those exist where you live, and whether the crew thinks any of them is enough today.
Which hospital are you taking him to, and why that one?
Why ask it
Distance is one reason, and so are which emergency rooms are accepting ambulances and whether he needs a center that handles strokes, hearts or major injuries. The reason they give tells you whether this is a routine trip or one where minutes count.
Can you take her to the hospital where her doctors are?
Why ask it
Sometimes yes, sometimes not: service boundaries, what each hospital can treat and how sick she is all limit it. Ask anyway, and give the name of her cardiologist or oncologist so it reaches the receiving team wherever she ends up.
Will you call ahead so the hospital is expecting him?
Why ask it
For a suspected stroke, heart attack or major injury, many crews radio a warning so that a team is waiting at the door. For most other transports they do not, and knowing which this is tells you whether to expect a rush on arrival or a place in the triage line.
Will you be using lights and sirens on the way?
Why ask it
A quiet drive is not a sign that nobody cares. Many services keep lights and sirens for the patients where minutes change the outcome, because driving that way adds risk for everyone on the road. Whichever it is, you have a plain reading of how urgent they think this is.
Can I ride with you? If not, where should I go when I arrive?
Why ask it
Policies differ: some services seat one relative up front, some let a parent ride beside a child, and some take no passengers when the patient is very sick. If you are driving yourself, get the hospital entrance and department name before the doors close, because finding one patient in a big hospital at night is slow work.
Can his walker or wheelchair come in the ambulance?
Why ask it
Space and the rules on securing loose equipment differ between services, so a folding walker may fit where a powered chair will not. If it has to stay behind, bring it yourself or send it with someone, because coming home from the hospital without it is a problem nobody plans for.
What should I grab before we go: medications, glasses, hearing aids, insurance card?
Why ask it
Glasses and hearing aids are the ones people forget, and an older patient who cannot see or hear in a noisy emergency room can seem far more confused than they are. A phone charger earns its place in the bag too. Leave jewelry and spare cash at home.
How long is the drive, and should I follow you or lock up here first?
Why ask it
Crews generally ask relatives not to tail the ambulance, and nobody should follow one through a red light. Taking a couple of minutes to lock the house, turn off the stove and settle the pets, then driving at normal speed with the address written down, costs you very little.
Can you pass one thing on to the hospital for me?
Why ask it
You may be the only person who knows how the day started, what changed, or that the same thing happened last month. The crew's handover at the hospital is short and spoken, so pick the one detail you would hate to see lost and say it before they pull away.
What happens when we get to the hospital?
Why ask it
The crew gives its report to the hospital staff, and after that the order in which patients are seen is the hospital's decision, so arriving by ambulance does not always mean being seen first. Hearing that now makes a wait feel less like being forgotten. Ask who you should check in with when you walk in.
Before they leave
If we decide not to go to the hospital, what risk are we taking, and what would you tell your own family?
Why ask it
In most places an adult who understands the risk can turn the ride down, and the crew will ask for a signature to record it. What they would tell their own family tends to be the plainest account of that risk you will hear all night.
If she stays home, who should see her next, and how soon?
Why ask it
A crew leaving someone at home is not a clean bill of health. Ask whether they mean the family doctor tomorrow, urgent care today or a referral they can make themselves, since which of those exists depends on the service.
If this happens again tonight, what should make me call again?
Why ask it
You want a specific threshold, not reassurance: a level of confusion, a temperature, a breathing pattern, a pain that returns. Write the answer down, because at three in the morning you will not remember it.
This is his third fall this month. Who can help us stop the next one?
Why ask it
Crews notice the repeat addresses, and many know the local routes out of the pattern: a falls clinic, a community paramedic visit, a home assessment, a word with the family doctor. What exists where you live is the thing to find out, and it is easier asked now than after the fourth call.
Was there anything I should have done before you got here?
Why ask it
Asked while they are packing up, this gets you practical corrections for next time: the porch light on, the hallway clear, the medication list by the door, what to do while the dispatcher is still on the line. It is also a fair moment to hear that you did fine.
What are your names, and which service are you with?
Why ask it
A first name given at the door is easy to lose in the moment, so ask again and write it down beside the name on the side of the ambulance. Those two details and the date are enough for a thank-you or a concern to reach the right crew later.
Is there a run number or a report I should ask for later?
Why ask it
The crew's written report records what they found and what they gave before the hospital, which can matter for follow-up appointments and insurance. How you request a copy depends on the service, so ask for the call number now and who to contact.
Will there be a bill for this, and who sends it?
Why ask it
Where ambulances charge, the bill usually comes from the ambulance service or the city and not from the hospital, and what insurance covers varies a great deal. The crew will not know your costs, but they can tell you who bills and whether a call without a ride is charged as well.
The job
Why did you become an EMT?
Why ask it
The easy opener for a class visit, a school project or a chat over the fence. The answer might be a person, one event or simply a job that was hiring, and each of those leads to a different second question.
What did your last shift look like, start to finish?
Why ask it
Asking about the last shift instead of a typical one gets the true version: the vehicle check, the waiting, the meal that went cold, the report typed up afterward. People asked for a typical day tend to describe their most eventful.
Which calls are you sent to most often?
Why ask it
Whatever you were picturing, the answer is likely to be quieter: an older person on the floor, someone short of breath, a worried relative. Follow up by asking which of those is harder than it sounds.
What is the difference between an EMT and a paramedic?
Why ask it
People outside the job use the two words as one, so nobody minds being asked. The short version is length of training and what each may do for a patient, but the detail changes by state and country, so ask how it works in their service.
How do you and your partner decide who drives and who rides in the back?
Why ask it
Some crews swap every call and some split it by qualification. Either way, the way an EMT talks about a partner shows how much of the job rests on that one relationship.
What is inside the ambulance, and what do you reach for most?
Why ask it
If the ambulance is parked nearby and the crew has time, this one tends to turn into a tour. Gloves, the stretcher or a blood pressure cuff will probably come up before anything with a screen, which says a good deal about the work.
How do you stay calm when everyone around you is frightened?
Why ask it
Children ask this at school visits, and adults want to know as well. The honest answers are about habit, the same checks in the same order on every call, which is more useful to hear than talk of bravery.
What do you say to a patient who is scared, or who wants you to leave?
Why ask it
Expect something plain and specific: a first name, each step explained before it happens, a choice offered wherever one exists. If you ever have to keep someone calm until help arrives, this is the answer worth borrowing.
What makes someone good at this job?
Why ask it
Medical knowledge may not come first in the answer. You are as likely to hear about patience with people on a bad day, a level voice and being easy to share a cab with for a whole shift, and those are things a student can check against themselves.
What is the best part of the job?
Why ask it
Worth asking early, because it balances the heavier questions people tend to lead with. Notice whether the answer is about patients, the partner in the other seat or the fact that no two days match.
Is there a call you remember for a good reason?
Why ask it
This is the kinder version of the question EMTs get tired of hearing, the one about the worst thing they have seen. Asking for a good call gets you a real story without making someone relive a bad day for your interest.
Have you ever delivered a baby?
Why ask it
Unlike most questions about memorable calls, this one has a cheerful answer whichever way it goes. Some EMTs have a story and many have never had the chance, and you can follow up by asking what a crew does when a baby will not wait for the hospital.
What is the hardest part of the job that outsiders would not guess?
Why ask it
Leave room for an answer you did not expect: the lifting, the nights, the wait outside a full emergency room, the calls an ambulance cannot fix. If a difficult call does come up, listen and do not press for detail.
Who looks after the crew after a hard call?
Why ask it
Some services have peer support, a chaplain or a supervisor who takes the crew off the road for an hour, and some have very little. Ask about the system and let the EMT decide whether to say anything about themselves.
What hours do you work, and what do they do to the rest of your week?
Why ask it
Shift patterns vary a great deal between services, from twelve-hour days to a full day and night at the station. Listen hardest to what comes after the schedule itself, since sleep, childcare and missed weekends shape the job as much as the calls do.
Good to know
When should someone call an ambulance, and when is other help the better choice?
Why ask it
The answer depends on what else exists locally: a nurse advice line, urgent care, a pharmacist. Ask for one example from each side, and expect to hear that a caller who is unsure should still call.
What should everyone know how to do while waiting for you?
Why ask it
Chest compressions and firm pressure on a bleeding wound are likely to head the list. Ask where to take a first aid class locally, since crews often know who runs them, and whether the dispatcher will talk a caller through it in the meantime.
How can we make our house easier for you to find?
Why ask it
The answers are practical ones: house numbers that can be read from the street at night, a porch light, someone at the curb to wave. Apartment buildings and gated roads have their own problems, so describe yours and ask what would help there.
What do you wish the public understood about your job?
Why ask it
Many EMTs have an answer ready, often a correction of something television gets wrong: how much an ambulance can treat, why it sometimes waits at the curb, why the crew asks so many questions first. For a school report, this answer makes a good closing paragraph.
What should drivers do when an ambulance comes up behind them?
Why ask it
The rules differ by country and state, so ask what the law says where you are as well as what helps. A common complaint is panic: a driver who brakes hard, or stops in the one place the ambulance cannot get past.
Training
How long did it take you to become an EMT, and what did you have to pass?
Why ask it
Course length, exams and licensing are set by the state or country, so treat the answer as one person's route and check the rules where you live. Then ask which was harder, the written test or the hands-on stations.
What did the course not prepare you for?
Why ask it
Classroom training covers the medicine, and the first months on the road teach the rest: finding addresses in the dark, talking to families, lifting in a narrow hallway. For anyone about to enroll, this is the answer to write down.
Do you have to be strong, or good at science, to do this?
Why ask it
Students often rule themselves out on one of these before asking anyone. Listen for how much of the lifting is technique, equipment and a second pair of hands, how much of the science is taught from scratch, and whether the service sets a physical test.
What could I do now if I want to be an EMT in a few years?
Why ask it
Minimum ages and cadet or explorer programs differ from place to place, so ask what exists near you. A first aid and CPR class is a common first step, and it shows quickly whether this kind of learning suits you.
Does your service take volunteers or let people ride along?
Why ask it
Volunteer squads and some paid services do, usually with an age limit and a form to sign, and one shift in the back shows more than any conversation can. If the answer is no, ask who nearby says yes.
Can a person live on EMT pay where you work?
Why ask it
Pay differs sharply between employers and regions, which is why a local EMT is a better source than an average found online. Keep it for a one-to-one conversation, ask it respectfully, and notice whether overtime or a second job comes into the answer.
What do EMTs usually go on to do?
Why ask it
For some it is a whole career, and for others a first step toward paramedic training, nursing, the fire department or medical school. Where an EMT's own colleagues went shows what the job is good preparation for.
What advice would you give someone about to start an EMT class?
Why ask it
Narrow it if the answer comes back general: what to study first, which kind of employer to start with, what to buy and what not to bother with. The advice an EMT was given and ignored is often the best of it.
Would you recommend this work to someone you care about?
Why ask it
Save this for last, since it asks for a verdict. The conditions attached to a yes are the advice: the right service, the right partner, a plan for what comes after.
How to Talk to an EMT, During a Call and on a Quiet Day
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
While the crew is working
- Answer their questions before you ask yours. The first minutes belong to the crew, and a question in the middle of an assessment costs them time.
- Have one person talk to the crew. When three relatives answer at once, detail gets lost.
- Stand clear of the doorway and where they can see you, not behind them. Equipment has to come through that space.
- Put pets in another room and turn the porch light on before the crew arrives.
- If someone has fallen and is not in immediate danger, the usual advice is to leave them where they are and do what the dispatcher tells you until the crew arrives. Let the crew do the lifting.
- Say plainly if you are the health care proxy or hold power of attorney, and have the document if you can.
What the crew will ask you
- What happened, and what time it started. If nobody saw it begin, the time the person was last seen behaving normally.
- What they are usually like: how they walk, talk and remember on an ordinary day. The crew judges today against that.
- Allergies and regular medicines, including anything taken, doubled or missed today.
- Long-term conditions, operations and any hospital stay in the past few weeks.
- When they last ate or drank.
- Whether this has happened before, and what it turned out to be that time.
- For pain: where it is, whether it spreads, what makes it worse and a score out of ten.
- Answer what you know and say plainly what you do not. A guess presented as fact is worse than a gap.
What to have ready by the door
- A current medication list with doses, including inhalers, patches, injections and anything over the counter.
- Allergies, and what the reaction actually was.
- A short problem list: diagnoses, surgeries, recent hospital stays, whether they have a pacemaker or take blood thinners.
- Names of the main doctors and the hospital that holds their records.
- Any advance directive, do-not-resuscitate order or portable medical order form, kept where it can be handed over quickly.
- Insurance and identification, glasses, hearing aids and phone charger in one bag.
- A note of who to call, with the numbers written down as well as stored in a locked phone.
What a crew cannot do
They cannot give you a firm diagnosis
They will tell you what they are treating and what they are concerned about. Anything more definite waits for tests at the hospital, and pressing for a prediction puts them in an impossible position.
Destination is not always a free choice
Service area, what each hospital can treat, whether an emergency room is turning ambulances away and how sick the patient is all limit it. A request is worth making, but a no is usually protocol, not reluctance.
Scope is set by protocol, not preference
In many systems some drugs and procedures are for paramedics only, and a basic crew that seems to be delaying may be waiting for a second unit. Asking what level of crew is on scene is a fair question.
Privacy rules limit what they tell you
Privacy law differs by country, but in general a crew shares detail with the patient and with whoever is making decisions for them. A neighbor or a friend should expect to hear less, and nothing will be discussed in front of onlookers.
If the patient does not want to go
- In most places an adult who understands the risks can refuse transport, and the crew will ask them to sign to that effect. Ask the crew how it works under their rules.
- Ask the crew to state the risk out loud in plain words. Some people will hear it from a stranger in uniform when they would not hear it from a relative.
- Ask what would change their assessment: a symptom returning, a number drifting, the patient becoming harder to rouse.
- Agree who will stay with them and for how long, and write down the threshold for calling back.
- Call the family doctor or a nurse advice line the same day. A refusal is not the end of it.
- If they are confused, drowsy or you doubt they understand, say so to the crew. Whether the patient is able to decide is the crew's judgment to make, and what you have seen is part of it.
Afterward
- Ask the emergency room whether the ambulance crew's report has arrived, and ask the ambulance service how to request a copy if you need the detail.
- Keep the run number, date, time and crew names with the hospital paperwork.
- Where ambulances charge, expect that bill to come separately from the hospital's, and read it against your insurance before you pay it.
- If something about the care worried you, contact the ambulance service and ask who handles complaints. The run number and date let them find the call.
- If the crew did well, tell the service in writing. A note with the date and run number can be passed to the people who came.
If you are asking about the job instead
- The last three groups, The job, Good to know and Training, are for a class visit, a station open house, a school project or a booked conversation, never for a crew in the middle of a call.
- A crew parked outside the emergency room may be writing a report or about to be sent out. Ask whether this is a good moment before you ask anything else.
- Say what it is for, whether a school project, a career decision or plain curiosity, and how long you need.
- Do not ask for the worst thing they have seen. Ask for a call they are glad they went to and let them choose what else to tell.
- Expect no names, addresses or identifying detail about patients. Privacy rules bind a crew after the call as well as during it.
- Training, scope and pay change by state, country and employer. Treat one EMT's answer as true for their service and check the rest locally.
- If the radio goes off mid-answer, the conversation is over for now. Thank them and step back.