What Is a Diver Medical Technician and How to Become One

A diver medical technician provides emergency care and first aid to SCUBA divers. Your duties vary depending on the nature of your position. Some medics are members of the dive team, while others work in a diving support vessel, rig, or rescue boat. You provide injury care onboard. Some diving medics have the training to treat divers in the water. Your responsibilities can also involve specialized care. In diving, this type of treatment usually focuses on monitoring divers in a hyperbaric chamber. Such patients had sustained life-threatening injuries from pressure changes when they ascended too quickly after a dive.

The qualifications that you need to become a diver medical technician include professional training and certification and, in most positions, diving skills. Some employers seek applicants who have experience in a similar job in the military. Both Navy and Coast Guard have diver medical technician specialists who undergo specialized training. You can also earn certification as a civilian. You can become a certified Diving Medical Technician (DMT) through the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology. Certification requires that you already have diving training and previous emergency care training as an EMT or paramedic.