What is the cost of an EMT course?

Working as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is a rewarding and challenging career. There aren’t many jobs where you get to work outside of an office providing emergency care for your neighbors when they need it most. Whether you are extricating a driver from a mangled vehicle or transporting a patient with trouble breathing to the emergency room, EMTs are constantly thinking, planning, and evaluating the situation.

Many careers in healthcare, particularly those requiring certification, take a year or longer to complete training and can easily cost in excess of $5,000. On the contrary, EMT training usually costs between $1,000 to $1,750 and takes three months (or less with an accelerated course) to get certified.

There are a few questions to consider when comparing the costs for EMT training courses:

• Does the course include textbooks and materials? The cost of books and materials is generally $200 – $300 per student. Typically each student will need an EMT textbook, a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pen light, CPR mask, and CPR certification. Some courses may require a uniform for clinical externships.
• Does the cost include certification testing? Certification testing at the end of class will cost about $200. This cost will increase if the student needs to repeat any exams. Some courses will include testing fees as a tactic to charge a higher price for training with the knowledge that some participants may not complete the course or test. We recommend waiting to pay for certification testing until class is completed.
• Does the course price fall into the expected range? Courses that are really cheap (less than $1000) or really expensive ($1750 or higher) should raise some red flags. Read reviews and ask questions. You can request to talk to a current student or recent graduate about their experience. A high-quality EMS Training Center will happily provide you with these answers.

Related Article: How to Pay for EMT Training