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Emergency Care Attendant (EMT)

Types of Degrees Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	65
Associate’s Degree	13
Master’s Degree	1,503

What Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) Majors Need to Know

Studies in Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 2.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Service Orientation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.4 / 7
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Mapping software	Map creation software	—
Computer aided dispatch software	Helpdesk or call center software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates include:

• Class B Driver
• Medical Van Driver (Medi-Van Driver)
• Emergency Medical Vehicle Operator
• Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Driver
• Mobile Medical Van Advanced Practitioner
• Ambulance Attendant
• Emergency Vehicle Operator
• Certified Emergency Vehicle Technician (CEV Technician)
• Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor
• CPR Ambulance Driver (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Ambulance Driver)
• Transport Medic
• EMS First Responder (Emergency Medical Services First Responder)
• Mobile Health Vehicle Operator
• First Responder
• Driver

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	56.3%
Some college courses	23.1%
Postsecondary certificate	19.6%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Emergency Care Attendant (EMT)?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 40.4% women and 59.6% men among Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,586	40.4%
Men	2,337	59.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,624	66.9%
Asian	154	3.9%
Hispanic or Latino	496	12.6%
Black or African American	205	5.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	19	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	188	4.8%
Race Unknown	226	5.8%
International Students	8	0.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$27,434
4 years	$29,082
5 years	$32,352

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,352 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Emergency Care Attendant (EMT) graduates earn a median of $29,082 four years after completion — about 23% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	51.08
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other	51.0899
Anesthesiologist Assistant	51.0809
Chiropractic Technician/Assistant	51.0813
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Assistant	51.0802
Lactation Consultant	51.0815
Medical/Clinical Assistant	51.0801
Occupational Therapist Assistant	51.0803
Pathology/Pathologist Assistant	51.0811
Pharmacy Technician/Assistant	51.0805
Physical Therapy Assistant	51.0806
Radiologist Assistant	51.0814

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.