Could you tell me more about your EMT course/certifications? My sophomore son has very similar ambitions and I have had much difficulty finding an EMT program for him.
I can’t find a program for teens under 18. I can’t find a program less than a 6 month commitment. Every schedule conflicts with evening varsity sports, or summer internship/jobs. I have reached out to CNA programs but they all want someone over 18. I feel like I’m missing a very obvious piece of the puzzle here. Grateful to hear more about your experience.
This may sound obvious, but has your son called the local ambulance corp? Ours has a program specifically for HS students. They may be able to help connect you to a program.
Our community college has these courses/certifications but you have to be 18 - even though in our state it appears that the age is now 17.
Great suggestion! He was thinking about doing that to request a shadowing opportunity. Unfortunately in our state a kid needs to be 18 to get EMT certification. A dream delayed, I guess! Lucky kids in other states who can take advantage of earlier certification and realize their ambition, love to see it.
The age at which students can take the EMT course varies. You have found the answer for your state. Once your son is 18, he can contact the local ambulance service, or the local community college. Many offer courses for EMT certification, and sometimes this can be done during the summer between HS senior year and college freshman year.
RE: CNA…you need to check that age requirement in your state. This also varies. But 8 think it’s often 18.
In some places you can start the courses when you are 17 but can’t take the exams until you are 18, or you need to have your 18th birthday before the course ends. So check.
Some places offer “cadets” programs with their first responders. This isn’t a certification but it is some experience with these first responders not providing services!
Now that OP is asking, I tried looking this up at my local CC. Looks to me classes are open to anyone. You can get a certificate of achievement after completing the list of classes (from the school).
Depending on where you live, there might be Search And Rescue squads open to teens. There’s a really great one near us that sort of bridges Scouting and EMT work.
@SeacoastWalker What state do you live in? Are there any local volunteer rescue squads near you? The one my son joined during college accepts 16 year old members.
How old do you have to be to be an EMT? State requirements may vary, but the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (nremt.org), the main national certification organization for EMTs, has a minimum age requirement of 18.
Some EMS services do respond to OOS calls if they are close to a state border, and having NREMT certification easily enables an EMS worker to get certified in other states.
It really matters what state you are in. My son did it last summer at age 17 as part of a scholarship program at his high school through a community college. It was an intense 7-week program. He took our state exam and the national cert exams when he got home. I want to say the national was allowed at 17, but technically our state wasn’t active until 18th birthday a few months later despite already passing the exam.
My son did an accelerated EMT program that met 8+ hours a day, during COVID no less. You should search your local area for these accelerated programs.
The first thing your son should do is get CPR/AED(Adult, Child & Infant) certified.
My son is currently a Tactical Emergency Casualty Care(TECC) certified law enforcement officer working to become a SWAT medic. At the rescue squad he volunteers at he works as a Duty Officer, Technical Rescue Team member, EMT, EMT Preceptor and Driving Preceptor.
If you have specific questions feel free to message me as well.
I’m in MA. This is a great line of inquiry - I will look into it!!!
Thank you everyone for your kind and generous offers of advice. I will surely be taking you up on it. Every time I come to this community, I get all the warm fuzzies. I hope the experienced parents know how much it means to the newbies when every random question or search for information is taken seriously and so thoughtfully considered. You really can’t say that about a lot of online communities! I’m so grateful.