EMT Certification in Virginia

A lot of students wish to provide emergency services in the state of “Mother of Presidents”, i.e. Virginia. The state of Virginia follows the guidelines formulated by the AHA (American Heart Association) for the Emergency CPR (Cardiovascular Care). For his, the students need to qualify both the written and practical examinations. A student has to undergo an EMT program curriculum from a state-accredited program school.

Once a candidate finishes the EMT curriculum, he/she gets the permission to appear for the EMT exams, which are managed by the Department of Health (DOH). Go through the below mentioned details for acquiring the EMT certification in Virginia.

Requirements to Obtain EMT Certification

Like other states in the United States, Virginia also has various requirements, which are to be satisfied by the EMT applicants. These requirements are:

• 18 years is the minimum age to get the certification. If the parents of the applicant give consent, in that case, the candidate can acquire the EMT certificate at the age of 16.
• The applicants have to mandatorily complete the program curriculum from a state- recognized program school.
• It is essential to maintain a CPR certificate or card.
• The EMT aspirants have to hold a high school diploma or GED as an evidence of completion of the minimum education.
• Every individual has to present the evidence of his/her lawful presence in the United States.
• The physical stamina of the applicant must be such that he/she can lift and balance 120 pounds of weight.
• Every individual applying for the certification must possess a capability to speak and write the English language.
• It is obligatory for the students to submit their fingerprints and qualify a drug test, as well as the background check.
• The students are also necessitated to hold a driver’s license.
• The candidate should hold affiliation from a licensed EMS agency.
• The applicants need to undergo several immunizations.

Special Requirements

• Every applicant has to qualify the practical examinations administered by the state.
• They are required to submit a certification application along with the application fees.
• Aspirants are also required to qualify relevant courses before applying for the certification.

Process of Obtaining the EMT Certificate

In the state of Virginia, there are certain rules and regulations, which an EMT applicant has to follow for obtaining the EMT certificate. The stepwise procedure to secure the EMT certificate is as follows:

1. USDOT Approved Program

The first and foremost step involved in obtaining the EMT certificate is to undergo a program program affiliated by the USDOT (United States Department of Transportation).

2. Applying for the National Certification

When the program program has been completed by the applicants, they can now apply for the national certification. The national certificate is provided by the National Registry of EMTs. Below are the steps involved in applying for the certification:

• The initial step suggests the students to create their own account by visiting the official website of the NREMT, i.e. http://www.nremt.org/.
• If the EMT aspirants want to appear in the examinations, they need to hit on the option of “Create Initial Entry Application”.
• The students need to check the application status. For this, they are required to visit their own account after entering the login ID and password.

If the applicants see the option of “Submitted” next to “Course Completion Verification” option, then it means that the information provided in the application has been sent to the program, but its authorization is pending.

Similarly, if the applicants see the option of “Not Submitted” next to “Application Payment” option, then the candidates will have to deposit their application fees.

• If the application has been verified by the program director and the fees has been submitted, the applicants can see the option of “Print ATT Letter”.
• To take the examination, one needs to schedule it after getting print-out of the ATT letter.

3. Qualify the Background Check

At the end, the applicants have to successfully pass the background check.

EMT Recertification Process

The Emergency Medical Technician certification gets expired after every 2 years. To continue their services, they have to undergo a recertification process. Before undergoing the recertification process, the applicants have to meet three requirements mentioned below:

• All the necessary information required in the recertification application must be completely and correctly filled.
• An EMT student has to be active with an emergency service agency, or rescue center, or patient health care facility.
• It is mandatory for the applicants to complete the continuing education hours. At the First Responder level, the applicants need to complete 18 continuing education hours. Similarly, at the EMT level, the applicants need to complete 36 continuing education hours.