Do you want to become an Emergency Medical Technician?

Becoming an EMT is a lot of work, but can be a lot of fun, too! In the state of Ohio, people wanting to become EMTs are required to attend EMT-Basic training. This training is 130 hours (or more) in length, and is completed at a local school or fire department that has been authorized by the State of Ohio Board of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to offer such training. For your convenience, the list below includes the schools or departments locally that provide the training. If you are looking for training in other parts of the state, click the link that is below the list. GO NOW >

At times, a local EMT-Basic training center can and does offer classes at "remote locations." Miami University's Oxford campus has been used as a remote site several times in the past. If you are interested in a class that may be held at Miami, please contact Butler Tech and let them know that you're hoping to see a class taught on the Oxford campus. If there is enough interest, they may hold a class here.

Training as an EMT-Basic includes the following:

Emergency victim care, assessment and management of the adult and pediatric patient - 95 hours;

Reading and interpreting the vital signs of a trauma victim - three hours;

Pathophysiology of the airway, ventilation and respiration - two hours;

The mechanics of intubation, including dual lumen airway and endotracheal - six hours;

Training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) - six hours

The pharmacology and subcutaneous auto-injection of epinephrine - one hour.

In addition, Ohio requires ten hours devoted to the following:

Clinical experience;

Prehospital internship;

Combined clinical experience and prehospital internship;

One hour of emergency vehicle operator training;

Six hours of written and practical testing.

At the completion of the training, you will not only take the written exam to pass the class, but you will also take a state-authorized certification exam. Ohio uses an exam developed by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. The exam is taken at a Pearson computing center, and is a computer-based test. Also, you will take practical examinations developed by the NREMT, but these will likely be done towards the end of your EMT-Basic class.

If you are interested in further EMT education, such as EMT-Intermediate or EMT-Paramedic, you must take an EMT-Basic course first. The EMT-Basic is the stepping stone to other certifications in EMS.

If you are already certified in another state, and want to become certified in Ohio, please direct your inquiry to the State of Ohio Board of EMS, at 1 (800) 233-0785. Since there is not a national standard for EMT training and certification, you may have to complete some additional training in order to receive the same training as Ohio EMT-Basics.

If you have additional questions about becoming an EMT, or about EMS in general, check out the additional links below:

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians

National Association of Emergency Medicial Technicians

National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration - EMS Division

Ohio Division of EMS

Area Schools/Departments Offering EMT-Basic Training

Butler County (Hamilton)
Butler Technology and Career Development Schools
Public Safety Education Complex
5140 Princeton-Glendale Road
Hamilton, Ohio 45011-5140
(513) 645-8350
(513) 844-8946 FAX

Hamilton County (Cincinnati)
University of Cincinnati
9555 Plainfield Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0086
(513) 936-7131
(513) 745-0363 FAX

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
3520 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45223
(513) 569-1690
(513) 487-1690 FAX

Great Oaks Institute of Technology & Career Development
3254 E. Kemper Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
(513) 771-1142
(513) 771-0781 FAX

The EMS Program at Bohecker/RETS
11499 Chester Road, Suite 200
Cincinnati, Ohio 45246
(513) 552-6991
(513) 771-2807

Montgomery County (Dayton)
Sinclair Community College
444 West Third Street
EMS Training Department
Dayton, Ohio 45402
(937) 512-5162
(937) 512-3130

Miami Valley Career Technology Center
6800 Hoke Road
Clayton, Ohio 45315
(937) 854-8488
(937) 837-5619 FAX

Preble County (Lebanon)
Warren County Career Center
3525 N. SR 48
Lebanon, Ohio 45036
(513) 932-8145
(513) 932-2304 FAX

State of Ohio EMS Training Facility Information