What is a medic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Eve Leija AAS, NCMA

A medic is an individual who provides medical care and treatment in emergency situations or on the battlefield. They are trained to provide first aid, administer medication, and perform life-saving procedures such as CPR. Medics work in a variety of settings including hospitals, ambulances, and military units. They assess patients' conditions and make critical decisions about treatment.This profession requires strong problem-solving skills and a dedication to helping others in need.

What general advice would you give to a Medic?

Eve Leija AAS, NCMA

Medical Assistant Program Director, Website

To maximize salary for a medical assistant obtaining certification from one of the credentialing organizations such as American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) can make a new hire more competitive. Continuing educations along with developing any specialized skills such as phlebotomy. Demonstrating professionalism initiative and reliability, along with gaining a strong reference from previous employers.

ScoreMedicUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,815

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.81%

Asian 4.51%

Black or African American 6.56%

Hispanic or Latino 15.39%

Unknown 5.69%

White 67.03%

Gender

female 56.58%

male 43.42%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Medic?

Pros

Opportunity to save lives and make a difference
High demand and job security
Competitive salary and benefits
Ability to work independently and make decisions under pressure
Chance to build strong relationships with patients

Cons

High stress and emotional demands
Long hours and irregular schedules
Challenging work environment with limited resources at times
Dealing with difficult patients or families
Trauma exposure can lead to mental health issues

Key steps to become a medic

Explore medic education requirements

Most common medic degrees

Bachelor's

31.3 %

Associate

24.0 %

High School Diploma

12.8 %

Start to develop specific medic skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	27.23%
Patient Care	9.99%
Customer Service	7.86%
BLS	5.64%
Vital Signs	4.11%

Complete relevant medic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medic resumes.

Gain additional medic certifications

Medic certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific medic certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for medics include Medical Assistant and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

More About Certifications

Research medic duties and responsibilities

Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
Provide Foley catheter care to patients.
Provide instruction to EMT's and firefighters in emergency services training, basic fire prevention and protection methods.
Perform structural firefighting and rescue operations to eliminate or reduce fire hazards, protect people, property and the environment.

Prepare your medic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medic resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medic resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Medic Resume templates

Build a professional Medic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Medic resume.

Apply for medic jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a medic job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do medics rate their job?