Anonymous
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Take a EMT course 12 credit course for a 6 months at an accredited community college. Usually there are some prerequiste that you must complete first.
After passing the class, take the National licensing board exam.
J.M
Most local community colleges have EMT programs. This is the best route and it's way cheaper, as well. There are also private schools (such as training centers) that run EMT programs, but their prices can be pretty damn high ($700-$1000). Typically, a college-based EMT program will only ask that you have a CPR card.
There are different types of CPR training, make sure you get the correct one (Healthcare Provider or CPR for the Professional Rescuer). I'm sure your local college(s) offer CPR classes. You'll finish the CPR course in one or two days. If not, American Red Cross centers offer various types of CPR training. Look it up on the web. Also, check out your local colleges' websites to see if they have EMT programs, and the requirements. The course that you'll be looking for is called either EMT-I or EMT-B (Basic)
After that, you better be committed to passing the class or you won't make it. I have many classmates that said, "Well, I'm taking the class because it sounded interesting..". The very same people who gave me that answer are failing the class, due to lack of motivation. They started off all hyped at the beginning, but as they started throwing the hands-on stuff, people started freaking out. I've formed a study group of 9 people, and only 3 of us in the group make the effort to meet someplace to study.
It's really not a hard class, but people make it difficult for themselves (They fall behind in class because they enrolled with not much interest from the start, and loose motivation halfway through the course). It's only one semester. After you pass the class, you still have to take a state exam (National Registry, go to nremt.org) to get certified as an EMT. If you're not certified, you can't work in an ambulance. Do a few ride alongs with your local ambulance service, or fire departments that handle medical calls. See if it's something that you want to get into.
I recommend that you read the following books, or at least one of them. They're written by an actual Paramedic who describes the life as a medic on the streets.
-Paramedic: Front Lines of Medicine by Peter Canning
-Rescue 471: A Paramedic's Stories
firechick1721
call the local colleges, or community colleges and enroll in an emt class... depending on where you are, you will either start out with the emt-b (basic) or in some states emt-iv (intravenous therapy) most emt's do start from scratch... i took the first reponder course first, but i did that because i wanted to help people volunteraly, then i decided to go further and took the emt-iv class, now i get paid, and can still volunteer!!!
TheHangedFrog
Contact your local ambulance squad or service, ask them about it, some states it is go thru a college to get the class, others thru the state dept of emergency services, and there are other answers out there. find out from a local what your state and district requires. (do you have to be afilliated with a local service to even sign up for the class? that sort of stuff.
Local answers will be your best answers.
Anonymous
go to local community college talk with them on what to do.