If you are interested in a career in emergency medical services (EMS), you will need EMS continuing education to become an emergency medical technician (EMT), maintain your EMT certification or further your EMS career. You can find the best continuing education courses if you make sure that you are taking the proper courses for your needs as a student. For example, if you are looking to become an EMT, you will need a different EMS course than a basic EMT who wants to become a paramedic. To choose the best EMS continuing education courses, you also need to make sure that the course is provided by a licensed educational facility that can provide a certification.
To start a career in emergency medical services, you will need to find classes that will train you to be an EMT first. To become an EMT, you will need to complete a rigorous training program from a community college or technical college. Some hospitals and ambulance services also offer EMS training for future EMTs and EMS continuing education for those who are already working in the field. Continuing education typically is required to work in emergency medical services at any level.
If you want to increase your skills and move up from an EMT to a paramedic, you will need to attend EMS continuing education courses. Working in emergency medical services can often be hectic, but you should be able to find continuing education online that will fit into your schedule. One drawback to online EMS courses is that they can sometimes take longer than complete than continuing education in a classroom setting. Many technical or medical colleges also offer continuing education classes for EMTs, and these continuing education courses might be offered at times that are convenient to working adults.
Finding the best EMS continuing education courses can be a challenge, but you can do it if you research your continuing education options. The first step is making sure that the college is licensed to provide you with a certification of completion for the EMS continuing education course. The professional organization or government agency that oversees EMS professionals might be able to provide you with a list of licensed continuing education facilities.
In addition to checking whether the educational facility is licensed to certify EMS professionals, you can also ask around to see where other EMTs or paramedics have taken their EMS continuing education courses. These courses are required to maintain certification, so all EMS professionals should have taken them. Asking others about the courses can help you find out which ones were effective.