National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians

When operating in the prehospital environment, their actions are governed by protocols and procedures set by their system's physician medical director.

In general, EMTs provide what is considered basic life support (BLS) and are limited to essentially non-invasive procedures.

Besides employing basic medical assessment skills, typical procedures provided by EMTs include CPR, automated external defibrillation, mechanical ventilation using a bag valve mask, placement of air way adjuncts such as oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal airways, pulse oximetry, glucose testing using a glucometer, splinting (including spinal immobilization and traction splints), and suctioning.

In addition, EMT-Bs are trained to assist patients with administration of certain prescribed medications, including nitroglycerin, metered-dose inhaler such as albuterol, and epinephrine auto injectors such as the EpiPen.

EMT-Bs can typically also administer certain non-preprescribed drugs including oxygen, oral glucose, and activated charcoal (usually upon medical direction).

At the federal level, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed a minimum content and hour curriculum, but it is not binding on the states.

[16] In 2010, accusations ultimately determined to be false were made against NREMT claiming failure to prevent cheating during some of their certification exams (administered by Pearson VUE).

The Washington, D.C. Fire Department[17] was investigated for cheating on the NREMT certification exam;[18] however, an extensive investigation[19] by the NREMT and Pearson VUE, with assistance from the DC Fire and EMS department[20] as well as the DC police, revealed no evidence of cheating at Pearson VUE's LaPlata, MD testing center.