How To Get Your Paramedic Certification

You’ve been an EMT for a little while and now you want to make the jump to paramedic.

If you’re lucky, your job will already have a path laid out for you to make that transition. But not everyone is that lucky. A lot of times you have to figure this out on your own.

For everyone who isn’t that lucky, this is for you.

If it’s your first time here, hey I’m Shay. I’ve been working in prehospital EMS as either a fire paramedic or EMT for over a decade. Today I’m gonna cover all the steps to go from EMT to Paramedic.

We’re going to cover the five things you need to actually start working as a certified paramedic.

• Pre-Reqs
• Find (and pass) a Paramedic Course
• Pass the NREMT
• Get Your State Certification
• Get Hired

Let’s dive in.

The Paramedic Prerequisites

There’s a few boxes you need to check before becoming a paramedic.

Thankfully you should have them done already if you’re an EMT.

You need to have a GED or high school diploma. And be a current EMT-B. That’s all the education you need to apply to medic class!

Shoot if you want you can go direct to paramedic after EMT. Wouldn’t recommend that though.

One other thing you need to keep in mind.

You still need a clean background check. I know you probably have a clean record still. But don’t be surprised when you get another check.

Ok easy part done.

Find Your Paramedic Program

What program you choose to enroll in kinda depends on your situation.

Often you go to a paramedic program through a community college. These are great programs and typically have high success rates. The downside is instructors don’t always come with a lot of experience.

If you’re worried about if the program is accredited, check out CAAHEP website (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs)

It will let you search by area and find accredited schools near you. If your current job doesn’t have a program to send you too, this is a great place to start.

And don’t forget to talk to other paramedics.

They probably have an idea of what programs in your area are like. Pick their brains and see what programs might be best for you.

It’s important to make sure you have a good instructor for you classes.

Conquer the NREMT

The NREMT doesn’t have to be as hard as people make it out to be.

It comes to two simple things. Knowing what you don’t know. And making sure you shore up those weaknesses.

And there’s a pretty simple way to get that done.

First is to take a few practice exams. Preferably one that gives you a break down of where you’re weak.

I recommend Pocket Prep

It’s a pretty comprehensive exam preparation. It’ll tell you where you’re strong and what you need work on.

Then you just shore up those weaknesses.

If you want a full break down on how to make personalized study guides for the NREMT I’ve got a whole guide here.

Get Your State License

Awesome! You passed the NREMT.

Now you’re a nationally certified paramedic.

Oddly enough you still can’t work anywhere. You need to take your National certification and get your State cert.

The process is pretty simple after passing the National Registry though.

In Arizona it’s as easy as showing the state you have you National cert. Like it really is too easy.

But do some research on your own. Each state is a little different. And I’m not about to spend the next two hours going over it state by state.

Get Hired As A Paramedic

There you go. You’re fully licensed and certified to work as a paramedic.

If you’re looking for a new job, there’s three really great places to look.

First is the obvious. Indeed. There are plenty of openings on there for hospitals, care facilities, and private ambulance companies that need medics.

Next is local fire departments. These are harder opportunities to guarantee that you’ll get. Sometimes it’s months or years between department hirings. Just keep your eye open on local processes.

Finally you can look at Beyond The Meat Wagon. This is a subscription service that has tons of opportunities for medics. If you’re not tied to any one place it’s a perfect way to get paid to travel.

CONGRATS! You’re A Medic

Becoming a paramedic isn’t easy.

You’ll save lives, see some weird stuff, and make a real difference.

So quit procrastinating. You’ve got this.

And if you want more posts like this you can find all my posts HERE