EMT Scholarship Program Questions

An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) provides out of hospital emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients who call 911. Emergency Medical Technicians are an important part of a comprehensive EMS response system. 

An EMT certification is an excellent first step towards a fulfilling career in emergency medicine. With an EMT certification you can work for private ambulance companies, fire departments, dispatch centers, hospital emergency rooms, search and rescue, and also apply to become a trained paramedic. Some of these career paths may require further training and education, but they are jobs where an EMT certification is seen as an asset and is often a requirement.

Although the general public continues to use the terms interchangeably, there are important functional distinctions between certification and licensure.

• Certification is when a non-governmental organization grants recognition to an individual who has met predetermined qualifications specified by that organization.
• Licensure is the state’s grant of legal authority, pursuant to the state’s police powers, to practice a profession within a designated scope of practice.

Upon completion of the North Seattle EMT Program, students are eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) test in order to receive their EMT certification. Once certified, students must first be employed or volunteer for a qualified pre-hospital care agency before the Washington State Department of Health will issue their license.

This program prepares students to work as Emergency Medical Technicians, according to the King County standards and requirements, learn the roles and responsibilities of the EMT, patient evaluation and all emergency procedures short of those performed by physicians, and use and maintenance of all equipment and instruments required.

Students complete 13 credits, resulting in an Emergency Medical Technician Certificate. Graduates of this program are eligible to take the National Registry exam to qualify for state certification. After meeting the Washington state requirement of employment, individuals qualify for a state license. To learn more, please visit the North Seattle EMT Program website.

No, but as a certified EMT, a qualified employer would be able to activate the student’s ability to practice as a licensed EMT in the field. One of the things that sets the North Seattle College EMT Program apart from others is that many of the entry level employers recruit directly from their classes.

The benefit of taking the EMT class at North Seattle College is that the college has resources to help all students be successful. If the student is ultimately not successful and fails the class, he/she may be eligible to retake the course. A decision to offer an additional scholarship award to a student who fails the class will be at the discretion of the EMT Scholarship Committee.

A vital component to inclusion is a clear demonstration that socioeconomically underrepresented groups do have access to careers in emergency management. To help reverse the bias that exists in current pathways to service, successful graduates are asked to submit a report of their personal “Path to Service.” The purpose of this report is to allow future candidates to gather ideas and motivations from the work of others in their community, and to serve as a meaningful reminder that this inclusive pathway is being built strong and maintained carefully.

Yes, you need a valid Washington State driver’s license in order to apply for the EMT Scholarship because it is a requirement of the North Seattle College EMT Program and Washington State in order to practice as a licensed EMT.