An ER Tech, or Emergency Room Technician, is responsible for working closely with Doctors and Nurses to help patients receive immediate medical treatment. Their duties include monitoring a patient’s vital signs, including blood pressure and heart rate, updating loved ones’ on the patient’s condition and assisting Doctors and Nurses during procedures (e.g. removing objects from the skin, or wrapping and stitching wounds).
A ER Tech should be able to fulfill various duties and responsibilities. The following are some duties and responsibilities a ER Tech should be able to execute:
- Work with doctors and nurses and provide technical support for patient care.
- Clean and stock rooms and carts with appropriate medical supplies and equipment. Change linen as necessary.
- Transport patients to other departments in the hospital.
- Help with resuscitation/CPR and emergency airway procedures.
- Obtain and document a patient’s vital signs, as well as assist with placement of oxygen saturation, blood pressure monitoring and cardiac monitoring.
- Collect blood samples, tissue or other laboratory specimens, preparing them for testing.
A competitive ER Tech will have certain skills and qualifications, including:
- Excellent communication skills. Communication skills are vital in the emergency room. An ER Tech needs to be able to speak to and understand directions from doctors and nurses. They also need to be able to talk to scared patients and their worried family members in an empathic way.
- Ability to work under pressure. An emergency room is a highly pressurized place, a good ER Tech has to be able to work under pressure in this fast-paced environment and, at the same time, stay focused, organized and keep their cool.
- Be a team player. Saving a patient’s life is a team effort and ER Techs need to work with surgeons, doctors and nurses to make it happen.
- Exhibit compassion. Before and after procedures, an ER Tech needs to show compassion for patients and communicate with them in a kind manner.
- Flexibility. An ER Tech must be flexible and available to work shifts on weekends, public holidays and after regular hours.
