How to Become an EMT as a Premed: Everything You Need to Know
/Discover the EMT training requirements and learn how to get EMT certified so you can be a competitive medical school applicant
Learn what it takes to become an EMT and boost your med school admission odds.
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Part 1: Introduction
If you want to be a competitive medical school applicant, you know how important it is to gain meaningful clinical experiences. That’s why you’re thinking about becoming an EMT as a pre-med student.
Becoming an EMT is certainly an effective strategy to boost your admissions odds. Candidates with EMT experience are attractive to top medical schools for many reasons. Their work offers them a significant amount of patient interactions, as well as in-depth exposure to the medical field. The process of becoming an EMT—which we’ll explain in detail later on—is no easy path. Pre-med students who pursue this route display strong initiative, grit, and commitment to medicine.
In addition, pre-meds with EMT experience prove they have what it takes to handle the kinds of high-stress medical situations they’ll encounter as a medical student and resident. As far as clinical experiences go, working as an EMT is a little more “real world” than shadowing a doctor or volunteering at a hospital, which is why it so effectively sets medical school applicants apart from their competition.
Besides looking impressive to AdComs, becoming an EMT can be beneficial to you as a future medical student. You’ll learn how to deal with patients effectively. You’ll become comfortable in healthcare settings and gain confidence in navigating life-and-death situations.
Medical students who were EMTs are able to adjust more successfully to their clinical rotations than their peers who only had limited patient experience. The skills you gain as an EMT, which include assessing patients quickly and handling trauma emergencies, are bound to make you an effective medical student and future doctor. It’s no wonder you’ve decided to become an EMT on your road to medical school.
You just need to determine your next steps. How can you become an EMT? What are the EMT training requirements? When should you begin the EMT certification process? And how can you successfully balance being an EMT and a pre-med? Continue reading to find the answers to these questions and discover how to become an EMT.
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Part 2: What is it like to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)?
As we begin, it’s important to clarify the role of an EMT. There are several other medical certifications and experiences you could pursue in order to be a competitive medical school applicant. You want to be sure the job description is a good fit for you before you commit to becoming an EMT.
EMTs serve as the first responders to patients in need. When responding to an accident or injury, their purpose is to stabilize the patient and administer initial treatment. If the patient needs to go to the hospital, EMTs are responsible for communicating the situation to the ER doctor so they can take over patient care.
On an average day, an EMT may perform a wide range of medical treatments. They might provide CPR to someone in cardiac arrest, stabilize broken bones or spine injuries, or administer oxygen to a patient en route to the hospital. And don’t forget, driving the ambulance falls within their job description, as well.
It’s important to note that not all EMTs have such fast-paced work experiences. Some EMTs spend the majority of their shifts transporting patients to and from their scheduled appointments. And while all patient experience is valuable, you’ll receive a more narrow range of medical exposure as an EMT if you work in patient transport than if you respond to emergency calls.
Most EMTs work 12- or 24-hour shifts. Typically, they wait at their station or center until a call comes in and they’re needed. During evening shifts, EMTs may be able to sleep at the station, as long as they’re ready to jump out of bed at a moment’s notice to respond to a call. While waiting for calls during day shifts, EMTs usually clean the station, talk to coworkers, or—most beneficial to a busy pre-med student—take the time to study.
If you become an EMT, you’ll find that no shift is ever the same. One day, you might bounce between calls for 12 straight hours. Then your next shift could be ghostly quiet. You have to be ready for anything. If this job description resonates with your interests and personality, becoming an EMT might be the perfect choice for you on your journey to medical school.
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Part 3: What are the EMT training requirements?
If you’ve decided to make yourself a competitive medical school applicant by becoming an EMT, you’ll want to start by understanding the EMT education and training requirements. While becoming an EMT is certainly easier than becoming a physician, it’s not a cakewalk. And fulfilling the EMT requirements while you’re a full-time pre-med will be a test of your dedication and time management skills.
Who is eligible to become an EMT?
To enter an EMT training program, you must meet certain basic eligibility requirements:
Possess a high school diploma or GED.
Hold a valid CPR certification.
Pass a drug test and criminal background check.
As a pre-med student, you should have no problem being eligible for an EMT training program. If you aren’t CPR certified yet, you can find available classes through The American Red Cross, at your local fire department, or even online.
How long are EMT training programs?
EMT training courses are usually 150 to 200 hours in length and involve classroom lectures, practical skills labs, clinical observation, and ambulance ride-alongs. The classroom portion of these courses can be delivered in an online format, but the skills labs and observation must be completed in-person.
In an EMT course, you’ll learn important skills such as how to assess a patient’s condition, deal with blood loss, treat wounds, manage respiratory problems, perform emergency childbirth, and provide first response treatment to common injuries. These abilities will lay a strong foundation for you to build on as you enter medical school and future residencies.
EMT courses typically last 16 weeks, or about the span of an average semester. So if your pre-med coursework is light enough, you could potentially take the EMT course alongside your full-time college classes. However, you should expect to be extremely busy if you go this route. Most EMT courses are six credits, so even though the content isn’t overly difficult, the workload will require a substantial amount of your time.
The most convenient way for pre-meds to become EMTs is to find condensed EMT classes or boot camps that take place during the summer or on other school breaks. Condensed courses may be as few as 8 or 12 weeks in length, while some EMT boot camps can be completed in only 14 days. Taking an EMT course at a time when you’re not in regular pre-med classes is the safest way to maintain a strong college GPA. After all, becoming an EMT won’t be worth it if you earn poor grades and lose your competitive edge as a medical school candidate.
Where are EMT training courses offered?
You can find EMT courses available at many different institutions. Some colleges and universities will offer these classes through their continuing education divisions. Most commonly, pre-med students enroll in EMT courses offered at their local community colleges. Another option, albeit sometimes a more expensive one, is to take an EMT course from a technical school. To find a list of all the available EMT training programs near you, look at your state’s EMS agency website.
Where you choose to complete your EMT training won’t matter as long as the program is accredited by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Taking a non-accredited course won’t allow you to qualify for national EMT certification, so before enrolling in an EMT class, make sure it appears in the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) database.
What are the requirements to get EMT certified?
If your goal is to work or volunteer as an EMT, you’ll need to first get nationally certified. There are three primary steps to earn your EMT certification:
Complete an approved EMT training program.
Pass the NREMT cognitive exam.
Pass a state-approved EMT psychomotor exam.
After finishing your EMT course, you can register for the NREMT cognitive exam, which is a computer-based test you’ll take at an approved testing center. In 70 to 120 questions, the exam will test your knowledge of all the important topics covered in your EMT training program. To prepare for the test, you should look over your class notes and study any content areas you struggled with.
Once you’ve passed the NREMT cognitive exam, you’ll have to pass the psychomotor exam, which is a hands-on assessment of your EMT skills. Most likely, you’ll be able to take this test directly at your training institution. During the exam, your evaluator will ask you to demonstrate EMT skills such as conducting a patient assessment, performing CPR, immobilizing a spine, controlling bleeding, or managing cardiac arrest.
After you successfully pass both exams, you’re nearly ready to start working as an EMT. The final step is to apply for EMT certification through your state of residence. While each state’s requirements vary, you may need to pay a fee and submit a background check to your local EMS agency to complete this last step and become fully certified as an EMT.
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Part 4: How to balance being an EMT and a pre-med student
The process of becoming an EMT is straightforward enough, but it becomes much more complicated when you combine it with your challenging pre-med schedule and workload. And don’t forget, for this all to be worth it, you’ll have to work as an EMT while you’re an undergrad and gain significant patient experience. Before you embark on this journey, you want to ensure you can handle the work and time commitment without sacrificing other areas of your medical school application.
When is the best time to become an EMT as a pre-med?
Completing an EMT training program and taking the NREMT exams over the summer or during a school break is one way to become an EMT without sacrificing your pre-med studies. It’s also easier to become an EMT earlier during your college career—perhaps as a freshman or a sophomore—than if you waited until you’re a junior. As an underclassman, you’re generally less busy with pre-med classes so you can transition to your new role more successfully.
You also have to make sure you complete the other extracurricular activities you need for medical school, such as community service, physician shadowing, and conducting research. Becoming an EMT doesn’t mean you can ignore these other important activities that AdComs will look for in your medical school application.
(Suggested reading: How to Choose the Right Extracurricular Activities for Medical School)
What are the best places to work as an EMT pre-med?
EMTs work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, ambulance services, and some fire departments. In addition, some large event centers such as concert or sports arenas hire EMTs to work at major events and treat attendees who experience medical issues or injuries. However, the most consistent and available EMT positions are typically offered by local ambulance services.
Remember, some ambulance services don’t respond to emergency calls, but primarily handle patient transports instead. Your EMT experience will be much more valuable if you’re able to respond to real medical emergencies and injuries, so do your best to secure a position with an EMT service that handles emergency calls.
It’s also important to know that not all EMT services or companies hire part-time workers, especially ones who just finished their EMT training. If you struggle to find a part-time EMT job, you might be forced to work full-time while still juggling your pre-med coursework. However, many EMTs work nights and weekends, so for some pre-meds, this is doable. You’ll have to assess your own ability and willingness to take on full-time work as a full-time student.
If you’re not willing to work full-time as an EMT, you should browse job openings or contact hospitals and ambulance services before you even enroll in an EMT training course. See if part-time EMT positions are available in your area before you spend your time, energy, and money becoming an EMT.
You can also look into volunteering as an EMT at a local fire department or ambulance service if that is an option in your surrounding area. Volunteers, although not paid, typically only work one or two shifts a week, which should fit well with your pre-med schedule. Some fire departments are even willing to help pay for students’ EMT courses if they commit to volunteering with the fire station after getting certified. If you ask around before enrolling in an EMT training program, you might be able to find and take advantage of one of these opportunities.
Final thoughts
There are many different ways to become a competitive medical school applicant. Becoming an EMT is by no means the easiest option, but it’s one of the most effective. And after all, you didn’t choose to pursue a medical career because you thought it would be easy. If you’re able to become an EMT as a pre-med, maintain competitive stats, and still fulfill your other required extracurriculars, you’ll have exceptionally strong medical school admissions odds.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
