Know of an intensive, concentrated EMT course in the US?

April 25, 2009 10:50 AM

I'm already certified as an EMT outside of the US, but now that I'm going to school in America I'd like to get certified there as well. However, I don't have a lot of time over the summer for the course. Does anyone know of any really intensive, really concentrated EMT basic course? Like all day, every day for a couple weeks. Does this exist in the US?
posted by howgenerica to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

If you'll be living somewhere that has a volunteer fire department, you could probably start there. Here's a site with with links to organizations that have volunteer EMS, contacting one in your area may let you know what the certification requirements are, they probably vary by state.
posted by saffry at 10:56 AM on April 25

EMS in the US is administered almost exclusively at the state level. There is the National Registry, but that just facilitates reciprocity. So, in order to help you, we're going to have to know what state you intend to practice in!
posted by charmcityblues at 11:04 AM on April 25

I'm not sure where I'm planning to work, exactly. I spend equal amounts of time in New York City and New Jersey, so either of those places. I'm going to be going to school in Ohio. And if there's some 9 day, 18 hours a day incredibly intensive course for the national exam that's only offered on an ice flow in the Aleutians, I wouldn't mind flying there for that. Brevity of the course is my main concern.
Thanks!
posted by howgenerica at 11:29 AM on April 25

A simple Google search revealed that Pelham Training offers a 14-day intensive EMT-Basic course in Bloomington, IN. People on forums appear to recommend it, as their national exam pass rates are quite good.

Also, here is a 19 day course in North Carolina.
posted by halogen at 11:41 AM on April 25

The Pelham Training accelerated course is $1200, by the way, and you need to have received CPR training, presumably in the U.S., before you can take it (day-long classes that offered at your local Red Cross).
posted by halogen at 11:46 AM on April 25

I spend equal amounts of time in New York City and New Jersey, so either of those places.

Where in New Jersey?

Check here. Looks like there's a 4 week course in Wall Twp, starting June 1.
posted by lullaby at 8:58 PM on April 25

Courses like that do exist, but EMT licensing/certification in the US is done on a state level. If you're in NY, then you'll need to be certified or licensed (the terminology varies as well) in NY. If you're going to be in NJ, you'll need to do it there.

There's a thing called the "National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians" (NREMT), and they offer a National Certification, but it doesn't carry any legal weight — unless you're in a state (there are quite a few) that has decided specifically to give credit to it. So that's worth checking on. The NREMT certification is kind of a superset of materials covered in most state EMT courses, so it's typically more involved than a single-state course, at least in my experience, and the continuing-education requirements are more involved. (I was at one point NREMT-B certified, but I gave it up because the continuing ed was too much; it was far in excess of what I needed to simply continue with my state certification.)

Also, some states will recognize the certifications of other states, on either a permanent or temporary basis, but it's patchwork and you'll need to check for the states where you'll be specifically.

In many places, community or technical colleges offer EMT certification courses. You may want to look for a 'recertification' or 'refresher' course since you're already familiar with the material; that will take less time and probably be a lot less boring. Just make sure it meets the requirements for certification given what you're starting off with; in some states you may not be able to take a recert class as an initial one. (Be sure to let the instructor know what you're trying to do and what you have so they can advise you.)
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:08 AM on April 26

I'm way late in replying, but since I didn't see these mentioned...)

Unitek has one.

http://www.unitekeducation.com/

I've met a few of their students and the ones that do better are the ones with prior experience. Since you already have that, you'll probably do fine.

There's also Training Division.

http://www.trainingdivision.com

They have a good reputation and are fairly local to me. I have met several of their EMT-Intermediate students, and they had nothing but good things to say about the program and they seemed like intelligent, well versed students.

Good luck!
posted by drstein at 2:12 PM on October 28