How Do I Become an EMT in Texas?

The Rundown of EMT Certification in Texas:

Prospective EMT candidates, who wish to get EMT certification in Texas, must pass an exam organized by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). But, before this, they need to complete EMT training program from a state-approved training college or institute. EMT certification in Texas is valid for a period of two years only.

In regards to the NREMT exam, the candidate must pass the written exam, which is a test comprising around 70-120 questions that are required to be answered in 2 hours duration. This is an adjustable difficulty computerized exam. The exam includes topics, such as airway management, ventilation, oxygen therapy, EMS operations, cardiology, health emergencies, and general trauma. In the practical examination, a candidate’s capability to handle traumatic situations, such as fractures, bleeding, joint dislocations, etc., are tested. A candidate will also be tested on medical emergencies such as diabetic emergencies, strokes, cardiac arrest, etc. If a candidate fails in the examination, he/she can re-test for the next examination after 15 days. Six attempts can be made by the candidate to pass the exams successfully.

In case, you fail to renew your certificate before or by the expiration date, your certificate will be considered as involuntary inactive. If, after the expiration of the certificate, you fail to recertify it within 180 days, your certificate will get null and void, and you will have to undergo the entire certification cycle, again.

What are the Requirements to Get an EMT Certificate In Texas?

Following are the pre-requisites that should be fulfilled by the EMT candidates:

  • EMT candidate must be 18 years of age or more.
  • He/she should have completed a state-approved EMT training program.
  • He/she must possess a valid CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certificate.
  • The candidate is required to qualify the NREMT examination.
  • It is mandatory for the candidates to submit legal evidence of their U.S. nationality.
  • The candidate should be free from any mental or bodily ailment.
  • English fluency is a must for every applicant.
  • The candidate must compulsorily pass a criminal background screening.

Apart from this, there are some special requirements that are also required to be accomplished, like submission of application and applicable fees, and completion of a state-recognized practical exam.

What is the Process of EMT Certification?

Step 1: Get EMT Training

The candidate must successfully complete EMT training before applying for certification. The candidate can contact the local EMS department or any community college that provides training programs.

Step 2: Submit Application for National Certification

In order to get a national certification, a candidate has to appear for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) exam. Once the candidate has attained the Texas license, the submission of NREMT certification for recertification is not necessary. The state of Texas makes use of the National Registry only for the purpose of examination. After obtaining the license, it is mandatory for the licensee to complete the Continuing Education (CE) training. If the candidate is nationally registered, he/she is not refrained from fulfilling the Continuing Education (CE) requirements in order to renew the Texas license.

  • The candidate should start by creating an account on the NREMT website. Click on “Create New Account”.
  • Next, the candidate must create a new application by clicking on “Create Initial Entry Application”.
  • Now, the applicable fee must be paid by the candidate soon after completion of the online application. Though, the application fee can also be paid afterward.
  • After the candidate is done with the online application, he/she must keep a check on its progress by regularly looking for “Authorization to Test” (ATT) Letter. This can be done by logging into the website through the password and username, subsequently clicking on the option of “Check Initial Entry Application Status”.
  • The candidate’s details have been submitted by the website if “Submitted” appears beside “Course Completion Verification”, and therefore, it indicates that the approval of the course completion by the education program director is being awaited.
  • Whereas, if “Not Submitted” appears beside “Application Payment”, it clearly means that the candidate must pay the application fee before proceeding further.
  • After the application payment and confirmation by the education program director, the link “Print ATT Letter” will appear.
  • The candidate is required to take a printed copy of his/her ATT Letter and set a timetable for the NREMT exam.

The ATT Letter directs the candidate on scheduling the NREMT examination by using ‘Pearson VUE’ website.

Step 3: Background Check

To complete the process of certification, the candidate must undergo a criminal background check. For this, the candidate can contact his/her course coordinator.

Step 4: License Application

To apply for the license, you have to fill the application by going through the instructions mentioned in the form. It is necessary to fill the correct and complete information in the application form, otherwise; your application will get rejected. Documents to be enclosed with the application are:

  • Copy of NREMT card.
  • Application fee in the form of cheque or money order. The non-refundable amount at respective levels is:
    • EMT- Basic: $64.00
    • EMT- Intermediate: $96.00
    • EMT- Paramedic: $126.00

The application and documents can be submitted to:

Online Application:

https://vo.ras.dshs.state.tx.us/datamart/mainMenu.do;jsessionid=FF0263F3201696BE150ECC948582E3AD.i-01bf762d

Texas EMS Training Locations:

  • Alvin Community College
    Address: 3110 Mustang Road, Alvin, Texas – 77511
    Contact Number: 281-756-3500
    Official Website:http://www.alvincollege.edu/
  • Amarillo College
    Address: 1314 South Polk Street, Amarillo, Texas – 79101
    Contact Number: 806-371-2900
    Fax: 806-372-3919
    Official Website:http://www.actx.edu/
  • Trinity Valley Community College
    Address: 100 Cardinal Drive, Athens, Texas- 75751
    Contact Number: 903-675-6200
    Official Website:http://www.tvcc.edu
  • Austin Community College District
    Address: 5930 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, Texas- 78752-4390
    Contact Number: 512-223-4222
    Official Website:http://www.austincc.edu/
  • Lee College
    Address: 200 Lee Drive, Baytown, Texas- 77520
    Contact Number: 281-427-5611 / 800-621-8724
    Official Website:http://www.lee.edu/
  • Lamar Institute of Technology
    Address: 855 East Lavaca, Beaumont, Texas- 77705
    Contact Number: 1-800-950-6989 / 409-880-8321
    Official Website:http://www.lit.edu/
  • Coastal Bend College
    Address: 3800 Charco Road, Beeville, Texas- 78102
    Contact Number: 1-866-722-2838
    Official Website: http://www.coastalbend.edu/
  • Howard College
    Address: 1001 Birdwell Lane, Big Spring, Texas- 79720
    Contact Number: 432-264-5000
    Official Website:http://www.howardcollege.edu/
  • Blinn College
    Address: 902 College Avenue, Brenham, Texas- 77833
    Contact Number: 979-830-4000
    Official Website:http://www.blinn.edu/
  • Texas Southmost College
    Address: 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas- 78520
    Contact Number: 956-295-3600
    Official Website: http://www.tsc.edu/
  • Clarendon College
    Address: 1122 College Drive, P.O. Box- 968, Clarendon, Texas- 79226
    Contact Number: 806-874-3571
    Fax: 806-874-5080
    Official Website:http://www.clarendoncollege.edu/
  • Del Mar College
    Address: 101 Baldwin Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas- 78404-3897
    Contact Number: 361-698-1200 / 1-800-652-3357
    Official Website:http://www.delmar.edu/
  • Navarro College
    Address: 3200 West 7th Avenue, Corsicana, Texas- 75110
    Contact Number: 1-800-628-2776
    Official Website:http://www.navarrocollege.edu/
  • Grayson College
    Address: 6101 Grayson Drive, Highway 691, Denison, Texas- 75020
    Contact Number: 903-465-6030
    Fax: 903-463-5284
    Official Website:http://www.grayson.edu/
  • Brookhaven College
    Address: 3939 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch, Dallas, Texas- 75244-4997
    Contact Number: 972-860-4700
    Official Website:http://www.brookhavencollege.edu/
  • Tarrant County College
    Address: 5301 Campus Drive, Fort Worth, Texas- 76119
    Contact Number: 817-515-8223
    Official Website:http://www.tccd.edu/
  • North Central Texas College
    Address: 1525 West California Street, Gainesville, Texas- 76240
    Contact Number: 940-668-7731
    Official Website:http://www.nctc.edu/Home.aspx
  • Galveston College
    Address: 4015 Avenue Q, Galveston, Texas- 77550
    Contact Number: 409-944-4242
    Fax: 409-944-1500
    Official Website:http://www.gc.edu/gc/default.asp
  • Texas State Technical College
    Address: 1902 North Loop 499, Harlingen, Texas- 78550
    Contact Number: 1-800-852-8784
    Official Website: http://www.tstc.edu/harlingen/
  • Houston Community College
    Address: 3100 Main Street, Houston Texas- 77002
    Contact Number: 713.718.2000
    Official Website: http://www.hccs.edu/
  • Kilgore College
    Address: 1100 Broadway, Kilgore, Texas- 75662-3204
    Contact Number: 903-984-8531
    Official Website: http://www.kilgore.edu/
  • Central Texas College
    Address: P.O. Box- 1800, Killeen, Texas- 76540-1800
    Contact Number: 254-526-7161
    Official Website:http://www.ctcd.edu/
  • Angelina College
    Address: 3500 South First Street, Lufkin, Texas- 75904
    Contact Number: 936-639-1301
    Official Website: http://www.angelina.edu/
  • South Texas College
    Address: 3201 West Pecan, McAllen, Texas- 78501
    Contact Number: 956-872-8311 / 800-742-7822
    Official Website: http://www.southtexascollege.edu/
  • Midland College
    Address: 3600 North Garfield, Midland, Texas- 79705
    Contact Number: 432-685-4500/ 432-570-8805
    Official Website: http://www.midland.edu/
  • Northeast Texas Community College
    Address: 2886 FM 1735 Chapel Hill Road, Mount Pleasant, Texas- 75455
    Contact Number: 903-434-8100
    Fax: 903-572-6712
    Official Website: http://www.ntcc.edu/
  • Lamar State College- Orange
    Address: 410 Front Street, Orange, Texas- 77630
    Contact Number: 409-883-7750
    Official Website:http://www.lsco.edu/
  • San Jacinto College
    Address: 5800 Uvalde Road, Houston, Texas- 77049
    Contact Number: 281-998-6150
    Official Website:http://www.sjcd.edu/
  • Collin County Community College District
    Address: 2200 West University Drive, McKinney, Texas- 75071
    Contact Number: 972-548-6790 / 972-881-5790 / 972-377-1790
    Official Website:http://www.collin.edu/
  • San Antonio College
    Address: 1300 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, Texas- 78212-4299
    Contact Number: 210-486-0000
    Official Website: http://www.alamo.edu/sac/
  • The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
    Address: 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas- 78229
    Contact Number: 210-567-7000
    Official Website: http://uthscsa.edu/
  • Western Texas College
    Address: 6200 College Avenue, Snyder, Texas- 79549
    Contact Number: 325-573-8511 / 1-888-468-6982
    Official Website:http://www.wtc.edu/
  • Texas State Technical College- West Texas
    Address: 3801 Campus Drive, Waco, Texas- 76705
    Contact Number: 254-799-3611
    Official Website:http://www.tstc.edu/frontpage/
  • Temple College
    Address: 2600 South First Street, Temple, Texas- 76504-7435
    Contact Number: 254-298-8282 / 800-460-4636
    Official Website:http://www.templejc.edu/
  • College of the Mainland
    Address: 1200 Amburn Road, Texas City, Texas- 77591
    Contact Number: 409-938-1211 / 1-888-258-8859
    Official Website:http://www.com.edu/
  • Lone Star College System
    Address: 5000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands, Texas- 77381-4356
    Contact Number: 832-813-6500
    Official Website: http://www.lonestar.edu/
  • Tyler Junior College
    Address: 1327 South Baxter Avenue, Tyler, Texas- 75701
    Contact Number: 800-687-5680
    Official Website: https://www.tjc.edu/
  • Victoria College
    Address: 2200 East Red River, Victoria, Texas- 77901
    Contact number: 361-573-3291 / 877-843-4369
    Official Website:http://www.victoriacollege.edu/
  • McLennan Community College
    Address: 1400 College Drive, Waco, Texas- 76708
    Contact Number: 254-299-8000 / 254-299-8622
    Official Website:http://www.mclennan.edu/
  • Weatherford College
    Address: 225 College Park Drive, Weatherford, Texas- 76086
    Contact Number: 817-594-5471
    Official Website:http://www.wc.edu/
  • Wharton County Junior College
    Address:  911 Boling Highway, Wharton, Texas- 77488
    Contact Number: 979-532-4560
    Official Website: http://www.wcjc.edu/

Texas EMT Contact Information:
The Exchange Building
8407 Wall Street, Suite N-410
Austin, TX 78754
Phone: (512) 834-6700
E-Mail: [email protected]

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