<p>Is it possible for a graduating high school senior to work as an EMT-Basic or a CNA? I heard the training doesn't take too long. Where can I look for training programs (in hospitals)?</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>For EMT-B or CNA training–look at your local community college. You must be 18 years old to be eligible for EMT licensure in most states.</p>
<p>How long EMT-B training takes depends upon your state. (Not all states have the same education requirements.) It also depends on the course format–how often does the class meet and for how long. EMT-B classes usually require a certain minimum number of in-class hours as set by state law and national certification standards.</p>
<p>(For comparison purposes, D1’s EMT-B class was 10 weeks long and met for 6-8 hours/week. YMMV.)</p>
<p>To actually work or volunteer as an EMT, you not only have to pass the class, you also have to pass a state licensing exam. (Written and clinical practice.) </p>
<p>Working as an EMT may or may not be possible. It depends on where you live. In many areas, the supply of EMT-Bs far exceeds the demand. Even volunteer work can be hard to come by–esp if you lack actual job experience.</p>
<p>Generally, one must be at least 18 years old to hold an EMT certification (although some states have a younger minimum age). Not sure about CNA. And the training (at least for EMT) can vary from a few weeks (of all day, every day training) to a whole semester.</p>
<p>So if you get a license from one state and then move to another, do you still have to test again to get that state’s license since the class requirements vary from state to state?</p>
<p>Correct, EMTs licensed in one state cannot practice in another state without first either retraining (if the educational requirements are different or state law requires it) and passing the licensing exam in the new state. (In fact, you could be prosecuted for battery and causing bodily harm. You also become subject to civil lawsuits.)</p>
<p>EMTs licenses have time limits. Typically a license is only good for 3 years. EMTs must take X hours of continuing ed and requalify when their license expires.</p>
<p>A few states have reciprocity agreements, but those are the exception not the rule. EMTs, unlike nurses, do not have a national standardized licensing exam or national central registry.</p>
<p><a href=“In%20fact,%20you%20could%20be%20prosecuted%20for%20battery%20and%20causing%20bodily%20harm.%20You%20also%20become%20subject%20to%20civil%20lawsuits.”>quote</a>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thats a bit extreme - you won’t even be hired to work as an EMT without the appropriate certifications for that state. And battery wouldn’t be the applicable code section even if you did somehow happen to start working as an EMT without the right certs.</p>
<p>Also, EMTs do have a national registry, appropriately called the NREMT - National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. However, not all states accept NREMT certification as valid certification to work in that state (although many do). Some states (like CA) have their own certification process, but use one or both of the NREMT tests for cert and recert testing. </p>
<p>In my experience, almost all states have some form of reciprocity where you can get at least a temporary certification in a new state while you complete any new requirements they have. Obviously this is easiest if you’re moving from one state that uses NREMT certification to another that also uses it.</p>