Are you looking to become an EMT in Pennsylvania?

Your first big step is to pass the NREMT Emergency Medical Technician Exam! The NREMT sEMT-Basic Cognitive exam is based on the national curriculum designed by NHTSA, and is accepted in nearly all states as a standard of basic EMT knowledge and competency. Even when a state requires its own exam, it is based on the same curriculum as the NREMT.

Requirements to become an EMT, while similar, vary slightly from state to state. In Pennsylvania, the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services oversees the licensing and deployment of EMTs.

All states, and the NREMT, require the prospective EMT to take a rigorous training course, usually of 120 hours of classroom time and field practice. Most states certify their own training facilities, and information on Pennsylvania’s training facilities and requirements can be found here.

The prospective EMT then must pass a practical exam and a cognitive exam, and meet any other state requirements, including to be healthy, drug-free, over the age of 18 at the time of licensing, to hold a Basic Life Support/CPR certification (such as from the American Red Cross or American Heart Association. Many EMT training courses include this), and to undergo a background check. For more information, you can find Pennsylvania’s EMT-Basic application procedure here.

For more information about the national standard for EMT-Basic, visit
NREMT’s EMT-Basic website.

If you have any questions about becoming an EMT, you can reach Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
at: [email protected] or at their address:

Bureau of Emergency Medical Services

Health and Welfare Building Room 1032

7th and Forster Streets

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120

(717) 787-8740