Hello!
I am an EMT-Basic and I am creating this thread to help out other EMT's that are just getting started with their careers. I had a hard time trying to figure out what I needed to do to receive my Basic Certification. I am hoping that the information I post on here really helps out a lot of people.
Thanks and have a great day!
P.S. (I took my classes in Texas so some of this information may not apply to you.)
I guess I will start off with how to enroll in an EMT Basic course.
1) Contact your local training program and ask them if they have orientation class or if they have some forms that you can take home and look over.
2) Obtain the required shot records. This is critical because some shots are a series and can take months to receive all of them. That means you cannot take the course unless you have all of the required shots. Make sure to write down or get a list from your course instructor before you sign up for the class. I knew a lot of kids who had already paid for their course and then had to turn around and drop it because they didn't have the required shots.
3) Become CPR certified in BLS (Basic Life Support). Make sure you sign up for the class that includes Life Support for babies!! This was another reason other students were dropping the class because they got the wrong CPR certification.
4) Study Study Study!!! Take every extra credit opportunity you possibly can if they offer it! Don't be afraid to ask others for help. I am pretty shy, but I quickly got over it once I started to struggle. If you get behind it is VERY hard to catch back up.
5) Stay Organized. Any form I had to sign or homework assignment I was given I made copies of. There was once that I had stayed up extremely late the night before doing some homework and studying and I forgot my homework at home when I went to class. I learned pretty quick to make copies.
6) Do not overwhelm yourself. I was working full-time and trying to schedule my clinicals for right after work. Not a good idea. Try to schedule your clinicals during your free time and make sure you make time for sleep and studying. Give up playing that video game or party to spend some time going over course material.
7) Skills testing is not a big deal. Just go over everything over and over again. Practice with a relative or friend. They literally give you a list of everything you need to say and do to pass the skill. Just take a deep breath before you go in and think to yourself "you know how to do this." That helped me calm my nerves and perform my skills. If you mess up it is OKAY. Just take a second to get your barrings.
8) If you have made it through the course and passed the Final,CONGRATULATIONS! Now for the hard part haha. The National Registry. To sign up go to nremt. Create an account. Once you do you want to Create an Initial App. Once you have been approved you will want to schedule you test. You will schedule your test on PearsonVue. You want to choose "National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians" and schedule your test. You will find out in 1-2 business days if you passed or failed. I believe the test is between 70-120 questions. They will also send you an official form in the mail.
9) After you pass your test you will want to sign up for your fingerprints and also register with the state. This is all basically making sure that you can legally work as an EMT and do not have anything incriminating on your records. I found a link that tells you a Step-By-Step guide on how to sign up for both your fingerprints and register with the state. I just Googled "DSHS EMT Fingerprint FAQ" and the PDF File popped up. You are going to want to register for a fingerprint Fast Pass first, which is through the DSHS website, then register for fingerprinting. Your state certification can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to come in, but it is well worth it once you receive them. Go to the "dshs" website.
(Again, I'm from Texas so mine may be different from the state you reside in.)
10) And lastly keep EVERYTHING from your classes and any forms or receipts you receive. I went onto my instructors webpage and downloaded all of her slideshows, notes, homework assignments, and pictures she had. Keep your books and study notes as well. I even saved my exam reviews so that I could refresh my memory if needed.
Congratulations in advance on obtaining your EMT-Basic Certification!! I didn't list nearly everything, but these are the basic things that I wished someone had told me about before I started my classes. Hope this was helpful! ^_^
I am an EMT-Basic and I am creating this thread to help out other EMT's that are just getting started with their careers. I had a hard time trying to figure out what I needed to do to receive my Basic Certification. I am hoping that the information I post on here really helps out a lot of people.
Thanks and have a great day!
P.S. (I took my classes in Texas so some of this information may not apply to you.)
I guess I will start off with how to enroll in an EMT Basic course.
1) Contact your local training program and ask them if they have orientation class or if they have some forms that you can take home and look over.
2) Obtain the required shot records. This is critical because some shots are a series and can take months to receive all of them. That means you cannot take the course unless you have all of the required shots. Make sure to write down or get a list from your course instructor before you sign up for the class. I knew a lot of kids who had already paid for their course and then had to turn around and drop it because they didn't have the required shots.
3) Become CPR certified in BLS (Basic Life Support). Make sure you sign up for the class that includes Life Support for babies!! This was another reason other students were dropping the class because they got the wrong CPR certification.
4) Study Study Study!!! Take every extra credit opportunity you possibly can if they offer it! Don't be afraid to ask others for help. I am pretty shy, but I quickly got over it once I started to struggle. If you get behind it is VERY hard to catch back up.
5) Stay Organized. Any form I had to sign or homework assignment I was given I made copies of. There was once that I had stayed up extremely late the night before doing some homework and studying and I forgot my homework at home when I went to class. I learned pretty quick to make copies.
6) Do not overwhelm yourself. I was working full-time and trying to schedule my clinicals for right after work. Not a good idea. Try to schedule your clinicals during your free time and make sure you make time for sleep and studying. Give up playing that video game or party to spend some time going over course material.
7) Skills testing is not a big deal. Just go over everything over and over again. Practice with a relative or friend. They literally give you a list of everything you need to say and do to pass the skill. Just take a deep breath before you go in and think to yourself "you know how to do this." That helped me calm my nerves and perform my skills. If you mess up it is OKAY. Just take a second to get your barrings.
8) If you have made it through the course and passed the Final,CONGRATULATIONS! Now for the hard part haha. The National Registry. To sign up go to nremt. Create an account. Once you do you want to Create an Initial App. Once you have been approved you will want to schedule you test. You will schedule your test on PearsonVue. You want to choose "National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians" and schedule your test. You will find out in 1-2 business days if you passed or failed. I believe the test is between 70-120 questions. They will also send you an official form in the mail.
9) After you pass your test you will want to sign up for your fingerprints and also register with the state. This is all basically making sure that you can legally work as an EMT and do not have anything incriminating on your records. I found a link that tells you a Step-By-Step guide on how to sign up for both your fingerprints and register with the state. I just Googled "DSHS EMT Fingerprint FAQ" and the PDF File popped up. You are going to want to register for a fingerprint Fast Pass first, which is through the DSHS website, then register for fingerprinting. Your state certification can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to come in, but it is well worth it once you receive them. Go to the "dshs" website.
(Again, I'm from Texas so mine may be different from the state you reside in.)
10) And lastly keep EVERYTHING from your classes and any forms or receipts you receive. I went onto my instructors webpage and downloaded all of her slideshows, notes, homework assignments, and pictures she had. Keep your books and study notes as well. I even saved my exam reviews so that I could refresh my memory if needed.
Congratulations in advance on obtaining your EMT-Basic Certification!! I didn't list nearly everything, but these are the basic things that I wished someone had told me about before I started my classes. Hope this was helpful! ^_^
