Emergency Medical Services Summary If you get very sick or badly hurt and need help right away, you should use emergency medical services. These services use specially trained people and specially equipped facilities. You may need care in the hospital emergency room (ER). Doctors and nurses there treat emergencies, such as heart attacks and injuries. For some emergencies, you need help where you are. Emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, do specific rescue jobs. They answer emergency calls and give basic medical care. Some EMTs are paramedics – they have training to do medical procedures on site. They usually take you to the ER for more care. If you or someone you know needs emergency care, go to your hospital’s emergency room. If you think the problem is life threatening, call 9-1-1. Teenagers 911 Emergencies Nemours Foundation Find an Expert American College of Emergency Physicians American College of Emergency Physicians American Red Cross American Red Cross Children Childhood Emergencies American College of Emergency Physicians Children with Special Health Care Needs Array Teaching Your Child How to Use 911 Nemours Foundation What Happens in the Emergency Room? Nemours Foundation What You Need to Know in an Emergency (For Parents) Nemours Foundation When It’s Just You in an Emergency Nemours Foundation Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Emergency Medical Services National Institutes of Health Statistics and Research Costs of Emergency Care American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency Department Visits by Persons Aged 65 and Over: United States, 2009-2010 National Center for Health Statistics Wait Time for Treatment in Hospital Emergency Departments: 2009 National Center for Health Statistics Journal Articles Emergency Medical Services Encyclopedia Recognizing medical emergencies Related Issues Rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Trauma Rural Health Information Hub Seniors Top 10 Tips for Taking an Elderly Parent to the Emergency Department American College of Emergency Physicians Array When to use the emergency room – adult When to use the emergency room – child Latest News ER Screenings Could Help Prevent Suicide HealthDay Black Heart Attack Victims More Likely to Have Ambulance Diverted HealthDay The 7 Deadliest Emergency General Surgeries HealthDay Many Kidney Transplant Patients Land in ER Within 2 Years: Study HealthDay