EMT Certification in Washington

The applicants, who want to offer willing emergency pre-hospital medical care in the Washington State, have to hold a valid EMT certificate. For the sake of obtaining the Emergency Medical Technician certificate, one has to pass the examinations administered by the NREMT. To become eligible for qualifying the NREMT examinations, the prospective EMTs have to finish a proper program program, which deals in various basic, as well as Advanced Life Support techniques.

Most importantly, the prospective EMTs have to fulfil some requirements to obtain the EMT license. Interested candidates can read the information provided further.

EMT Certification Requirements


When the applicants want to secure the EMT certificate in the state of Washington, the following requirements are needed to be fulfilled by them.

  • To present the proof of the minimum education, the applicant is required to have a GED or high school diploma.
  • The aspirants must be of 18 years or above to apply for the certification.
  • All the students have to necessarily undergo a CPR certification.
  • Their physical condition should be so strong that they can carry 120 pounds.
  • Every individual must possess the capability to understand and communicate the English language.
  • It is compulsory for the applicants to provide their fingerprints.
  • They also have to qualify a drug test and the background screening test.
  • One must hold a valid driving license.
  • One must also hold an affiliation from a licensed EMS agency.
  • It is obligatory for the students to present the proof of their legitimate presence in the state.


Special Requirements

  • The application along with the application fees must be deposited to the state.
  • The applicants have to qualify the practical exams approved by the state.
  • All the candidates should successfully pass the appropriate courses.

Process of Getting the EMT Certification

In the state of Washington, the applicants have to necessarily follow a process to get the EMT certificate in order to provide the emergency services to the public. The process of the certification is as follows:

1. Approved Program Curriculum

The EMT prospects are required to complete the appropriate level of EMT program, namely EMR, EMT, AEMT or Paramedic in the state of Washington. These program programs should be certified by the state.


2. Applying for the National Certification

In the second step, the applicants are required to apply for the certificate, which is provided by the National Registry for EMTs. For this, the students need to take examinations. Following are the steps involved in applying for the national certification:

  • Create an account on the NREMT website, i.e. http://www.nremt.org/.
  • Click on the “Create Initial Entry Application” for giving the exams.
  • Visit your account to watch the status of your application. If you observe the option of “Submitted” next to “Course Completion Verification”, then, in that case, the information submitted by you has been forwarded to the desired program, and it is waiting for the authorization.

You need to shell out the fees, if you see the option of “Not Submitted” at the side of the “Application Payment”.

  • Once the fee has been submitted, and your application has been authorized by the concerned program director, the link of “Print ATT Letter” will be visible on your account.
  • Take out the print of ATT letter and schedule your exam.

3. Pass the Background Check

When the candidates are done with examinations, they have to qualify a background check, which is regulated by the Department of Health. It can also be administered by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the Washington State Patrol.

4. Applying for the State Certification

In the end, the applicants have to apply for the state certification. The aspirants have to enclose a copy of the course completion certificate from the DOH and the result of the NREMT examinations along with the application.

EMT Recertification Process

The Emergency Medical Technician certificate remains valid for a specific time period, i.e. 2 years, and after that, it needs to be renewed. In the state of Washington, there are certain requirements, which a candidate has to meet, like:

  • It is essential for the applicants to provide complete and correct information in the application.
  • The applicants need to be associated with any public health care unit, emergency medical agency, or rescue center.
  • The applicants have to show their competency by completing the continuing education hours.
  • The applicants can apply for the recertification within six months of the expiration of their certificate that too at the same level.

Continuing education hours and processing fees at respective EMT certification levels are:

  • Emergency Medical Responder: An EMR will need to complete 15 hours of continuing education. The processing fees at EMR stage is $10.00.
  • Emergency Medical Technician: An aspirant is required to undergo 30 hours of continuing education. He/she needs to pay $15.00.
  • Advanced Emergency Medical Technician: Recertification at AEMT stage suggests an applicant to finish 60 hours of continuing education. The processing charges at this stage are same as that of the EMT level.
  • Paramedic: To renew the certificate at this stage, prospective students need to complete 150 hours of continuing education. For recertification, candidates have to spend $20.00.

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