Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

Navigating Your EMT Training Journey: Answers to Your Questions

CODE 3 – ONLINE EMS TRAINING

FAQ’s

While the titles are similar, EMTs complete almost double the training hours as their EMR counterparts. The EMR program was established with the intent to provide basic first aid treatment for sudden illness and injuries. EMTs have more advanced skills and are trained in transport, stabilization, and ongoing assessment of patients. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies typically have crew members that are at the EMT, Advanced EMT, and Paramedic levels. EMT candidates do NOT need EMR to obtain EMT certification.

EMT is an entry level into the field of Emergency Medical Services. Participants are not required to complete any prerequisite courses prior to beginning EMT.
Code3 Online EMS Training may provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are defined as accommodations that do not fundamentally alter the program. All students are required to meet the programs enrollment requirements. Code3 Online EMS Training will match any type of accommodation that the NREMT will provide during the cognitive testing process such as extra time for testing.

Since EMT certification requires a competent demonstration of psychomotor skills, all program participants will need to adequately perform required skills to obtain certification.

If you require special accommodation, you must submit a written request along with the appropriate current clinical documentation to support your need at the time of enrollment in the course. Upon receipt, you will be contacted by the Program Director to discuss your request.

Requirements for Code3 Online EMS Training EMT Course

  • Be 18 years of age by completion of course.
  • Provide a copy of your current driver’s license or state issued identification (upon enrollment).
  • Provide a copy of a Current AHA BLS Card (upon enrollment)
  • Students must complete a background check through Viewpoint Screening and upload results to the student portal before the start date of class (will receive instructions upon enrollment)
  • Students must be able to read, write and speak in English
  • Students must have the ability to demonstrate basic computer and learning management systems (LMS) usage.
  • Students must have a reliable computer with internet access.
  • We do NOT require any kind of immunization records because we are a distance learning training school therefore you will not come into contact with patients.
The course is taught in English and the certifying exam is only in English, thus students should be able to read, speak, and write fluently in English.
The first reason the background check is required is to safeguard the public from individuals who, in practice as an EMS student, might pose a danger to the public. Then secondly, to protect the student from taking a course if they would not be eligible to sit for National Registry of EMT (NREMT) exams due to an existing conviction problem. Please review the NREMT policy on criminal convictions at Criminal Conviction | National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (nremt.org). This policy provides information about whether the NREMT will grant registration based upon the severity and type of conviction or not. Although this policy provides a guide for issuing NREMT registration, it is at the sole discretion of the NREMT to approve or deny an application. Students who are not eligible to take the NREMT will not be eligible to take Code3 Online EMS Training EMT Course.

Code3 Online EMS Training may also deny an applicant eligibility to enroll in a course based on an applicant’s felony criminal convictions and all other criminal convictions (whether felony or misdemeanor) relating to crimes involving physical assault, use of a dangerous weapon, sexual abuse or assault, abuse of children, the elderly or infirm and crimes against property, including robbery, burglary, and felony theft. All applicants must disclose any criminal conviction as required on application. Applicants are not required to disclose any criminal conviction that has been expunged from the public record or a deferred adjudication that did not result in the entry of a conviction judgment. Failure to disclose a covered criminal conviction or the withholding of any material information regarding such conviction shall be an independent basis for denial of enrollment.

  • Downloadable electronic textbook
  • Access to Navigate Essentials (a digital-only Access Code that unlocks a complete audio book, Assessment Center, and a dashboard that reports actionable data)
  • Test prep (prep tools to practice for the National Registry cognitive exam)
  • Skills sessions either in Missoula, Montana or Remotely
  • National Registry Psychomotor skills testing either in Missoula, Montana or Remotely
  • Email access to instructors during business office hours
  • Code3 Online EMS Training T-shirt

EMT Beginner Bag (includes BP Cuff, Stethoscope, Pen Light, BVM ) The bag will be mailed to you once you have completed and passed chapters 1-5 of your course work.

  • Background Check -(Viewpoint Screening $45)
  • Current AHA BLS Certification (Price Varies)
  • Any examination, certification, and/or background check fees that are required in order to become certified at the local, state, and/or national level. (NREMT Written Exam Fee $104.00 per attempt)

What is NOT Included in the cost of the Course if choosing to travel to Missoula, Montana for skills component:

  • Hotel/Accommodations, Transportation, and travel to Missoula, Montana for skills week (varies depending on location travelling from and time of year)
  • Dinner – during skills week in Montana
No, currently we do not offer a payment plan or financial aid. We are priced low to allow all students the opportunity to become an EMT. We do offer a group discount. Please contact the admissions office to get additional information.
You can purchase one through JBLearning at a discounted price.
  • This course is a self-paced/self-study course (Therefore, there is no schedule). All chapters and assignments are available to the student upon initial access of course materials on your scheduled start date. The course is designed to only allow students to progress through the course in order (i.e. you must finish Chapter 1 before you can move on to Chapter 2 and so on.).
  • The didactic portion of this course has a 185-day (6-month) timeline. You must complete the online portion of this course within the 6-month course period. Exceptions can be made with verifiable extenuating circumstances.
  • You MUST have successfully completed and passed all online course material (didactic portion) prior to scheduling your required 40-hour skills week either in Missoula, Montana or remotely. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure completion by contacting their online course instructor. If you are not 100% complete on the first day of skills, you will be turned away from the skills session and have you return to a later skills course once you are 100% complete.
  • If you are on a strict schedule for completing the EMT course, we will try to accommodate your skills week when you need it. However, this cannot always be accommodated but we do try.
You can enroll online or over the phone.
No, there is no deadline to enroll. A new course starts on the first of every month. This is a self-paced course.
Our program is adaptable and will remediate any chapters you have trouble with. This is a self-paced program. You can spend extra time on chapters you need to. We also have instructors available to help tutor you through any parts of the program you are struggling with.

Remember you must complete the course with an 80% average to graduate. If you think this may be an issue, you can contact one of our instructors and we will be able to assist you with the problem.

Skills Week
Required 40-hour skills week either in Missoula, Montana or Remotely is to be completed when student has successfully completed and passed the didactic(online) portion of the EMT Program.

Specific NREMT Skills tests you are REQUIRED to pass:

  • Patient assessment-medical
  • Patient Assessment-Trauma
  • BVM Ventilation of an Apneic patient
  • Airway Management Devices
  • Spinal Immobilization
  • Emergency Childbirth
  • Cardiac Arrest Management
  • Bleeding Control/Shock Management
  • Medication administration (Narcan, Epinephrine, Glucometer)

Students are responsible for their own transportation to the skills location in Missoula, Montana and for dinners. Continental Breakfast will be provided by the hotel if you stay at the hotel we recommend) and lunch will be provided by us.

After Successful Completion of the EMT course

You have completed your online course with an 80% or higher and have passed all skills either in person or remotely. Now what? Your last step is to schedule your National Registry EMT written exam at a 3rd part testing facility. To do this, you need to first create an account on NREMT.org and then create an application to test in your NREMT account. You will then receive an Authorization To Test (ATT) letter that will have the instructions on how to schedule your test through the Pearson Vue website, https://home.pearsonvue.com. They have testing facilities all over the world and you can find a location nearest to you.

We recommend students take the NREMT exam within two weeks of graduating from the course.  It has been proven waiting longer than two weeks decreases your pass rate by 50 percent.

If you fail the cognitive exam there is a short waiting period before you’re eligible to retest.

Here are the rules for how many times you can repeat testing:

  • First three attempts provided upon completion of EMT course.
  • Three additional attempts provided after completion of NREMT Remedial Training (Refresher Course)
  • Candidate must repeat EMT course after 6 failed exam attempts. The testing cycle starts over after completion of the subsequent EMT course.
No, you will not be able to work as an EMT without a STATE LICENSE. You cannot work as an EMT with only your NREMT certificate, Your State License will be your license to work as an EMT in that State.

Receiving your NREMT certification is usually the hard part, once you have that, it is usually relatively easy to get a State EMT license, however, some States are a little more difficult to receive a license than others.

Each State issues EMT licenses, which gives you the privilege to work as an EMT in those states, respectively. The National Registry of Emergency Technicians (NREMT) issues a certificate as an EMT, and many states require that you receive this certificate before you become licensed as an EMT in that State.

Becoming Licensed/Certified as an EMT varies by each State, and most states require that you to initially be certified by the Nationally Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT.ORG) and be CPR certified before you can apply your State license.

Here is a list of what you may need to do to become certified as an EMT in your state:

  • Take an approved EMT Course
  • BLS CPR Certification
  • Pass your approved EMT Course and Practical Exams
  • Receive your ATT (Authorization to Test) from the NREMT, and pass the NREMT computer-based test (CBT)
  • Receive your NREMT Certificate (valid for approximately 2 years)
  • Apply to be Licensed as an EMT in your State (may require a fee, background check, etc…)

Each State is different, so make sure you research your State’s requirements for becoming licensed as an EMT.

EMT certification through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) lasts for 2 years. You will need to recertify every 2 years for the NREMT, and you will need to recertify your State EMT license approximately every 2-4 years (every State is different).
Some states do not require that you maintain your NREMT certificate to recertify your state license (others do), but it’s highly recommended that you maintain your NREMT anyway because you may decide to move to a different State in the future. EMT recertifications differ by State (usually every 2-4 years), and you will also need to recertify your NREMT certificate every 2 years, and your CPR license every 2 years. Recertification of your NREMT will require you to take a certain amount of Continuing Education, or you may recertify by taking an Exam.

Some examples of EMT jobs you may be able to do are:

  • Ambulance Service (public or private)
  • Hospital EMT jobs (ER Tech)
  • Fire Department
  • Wild-Land Firefighter/EMT
  • Ski Resort EMT
  • Security Officer/EMT
  • Cruise Ship EMT
  • Special Events (Sporting Events, Concerts, Movie Sets, ect)