Emergency Room Technician
Impact: Patient outcomes, immediate care
Assist medical staff in emergency departments by performing basic patient care, preparing treatment rooms, and maintaining equipment.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- 80% Team / 20% Solo
- Client facing
- Always
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 36-48 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $48,000
- Entry-level
- $35,000 - $45,000
- Senior
- $55,000 - $65,000
- Growth by 2033
- 6% (average)
- Demand
- Growing
- Freelance potential
- None
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 40-60% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $10,000 - $25,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Patient Care
- Vital Signs Monitoring
- First Aid
- CPR
- Medical Terminology
- EKG Operation
- Phlebotomy
Soft skills
- Communication
- Empathy
- Problem-solving
- Attention to Detail
- Adaptability
- Teamwork
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- Varies by State
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- ERT
- Paramedic
- Registered Nurse
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 5% to very low risk due to hands-on patient care and critical decision-making.
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Growing
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 4.2/10
- Work-life balance
- 5/10
- Prestige
- 5.5/10
- Social perception
- High