The New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) is in charge of certifying EMTs within the state. They maintain the certification of more than 26,000 Emergency Medical Technician-Basics (EMT-B’s) and 1,700 Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedics (EMT-P’s).

New Jersey OEMS uses the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam as the basis for certification as an EMT within New Jersey.

Requirements to Become an EMT in New Jersey

To become an EMT in New Jersey you must pass a state approved EMT-Basic training program. The program consists of 7 modules that must be completed in order and can’t  move on to the next module until you’ve successfully passed the exam for the previous module.

If you fail a module examination you can re-test after remediation but you can only re-take the exam once. If you fail the exam on the second try you will be automatically expelled from the EMT-Basic training program. You can apply to the EMT-Basic training program again but you’ll have to start from scratch.

After you pass the EMT-Basic training program you will be eligible to take the NREMT-Basic Certification Exam. You have three tries to pass the exam. If you fail the exam three times you may become eligible to sit for the exam after successfully completing an approved Core 13 program and obtaining an official “EMT-Basic Retraining Program: Certificate of Eligibility,”

Requirements:

• 16 years of age or older (see Rules for Minors)
• CPR certification
• Criminal History Record Background Checks
• Physical capability to perform all required skills and tasks of an EMT-Basic student as cited in the program curriculum
• Successful completion of the required EMT-Basic training program
• Successful completion of the of the practical skills verification examination
• Successful completion of the NREMT-Basic Certification Examination

Rules for Minors to become an EMT in New Jersey

New Jersey allows individuals as young as 16 to become certified as EMTs with the following rules and restrictions in place:

• Minors need to provide a signed parental consent to participate in the program
• You must agree to comply with all applicable labor laws
• You must agree to comply with all applicable rules regarding attendance, performance and program examinations
• You will not be permitted to do the following in classes or after certification until you reach the age of 18
• Operate power-driven machinery
• Oil, wipe or clean any machinery in motion 
• Utilize any machine that grinds, buffs, or polishes 
• Operate any hoisting equipment
• Utilize any torch device utilized to heat, melt or cut metals
• Operate and/or maintain any high-pressure hydraulic tool or air bag

For more information see the New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Basics: Training and Certification regulations

Requirements to Become a Paramedic in New Jersey

To become an Paramedic in New Jersey you must already be certified as an EMT-Basic in the state. EMT-paramedic training programs in New Jersey consist of a didactic and clinical portion. The clinical portion of an EMT-Paramedic training program in New Jersey consists of a minimum of 700 hours of training.

Requirements:

• 18 years or older
• High school diploma or its equivalent
• EMT-Basic, CPR, ACLS and either PALS or PEPP-Advanced certifications
• Physical capability to perform all required skills and tasks of an EMT-Paramedic
• Application, for and receipt of, sponsorship from a mobile intensive care hospital for the clinical portion of an EMT-Paramedic training program.
• Successful completion of an EMT-Paramedic training program
• A passing score on the NREMT-Paramedic Certification Examination, or granting of reciprocity by the Department (see Reciprocity below)

For more information see the New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic: Training and Certification regulations

EMT Training in New Jersey

EMT training is available at certified training sites throughout the New Jersey. A current listing of EMT training programs is on this page - Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class information.

 

Paramedic Training in New Jersey

A current listing of Paramedic training programs is on this page - New Jersey Paramedic Programs.

How to Become an EMT in New Jersey if You are Currently Certified by the NREMT and/or Another State

Reciprocity for individuals with EMT certification from the NREMT and New York or any member state of the Atlantic EMS Council

New Jersey has a fairly liberal reciprocity policy if you have EMT certification from the NREMT and New York or any member state of the Atlantic EMS Council (currently Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia).

Anyone who meets this criteria shall have status as an EMT-Basic. No further testing is required, and the EMT-Basic certification card issued by the out-of-State certifying agency shall be valid for the purpose of proof of EMT-Basic certification.

 If you meet the above criteria but you want to get a New Jersey certification card you need to meet the following requirements:

• Complete an application for reciprocity;
• Successfully complete an approved Core 13 program;
• Obtain an official “EMT-Basic: Certificate of Eligibility for the NREMT-Basic Certification Examination” form (as completed by the EMT-Instructor); and
• Sit for, and achieve a passing score on, the NREMT-AssessmentExamination.

Reciprocity for individuals with certification from a state or federal jurisdiction not listed above

If you have been certified as an EMT-Basic in any other state or Federal jurisdiction not listed  above, you can apply to participate in an abbreviated certification process by completing an official “EMT-Basic Application” form, which is available from OEMS upon request. Only individuals who are validly certified in a jurisdiction whose requirements for certification meet the minimum standards of the U.S.D.O.T.EMT-Basic National Standards Curriculum are eligible to proceed with the abbreviated certification process.

If your application is approved you will need to successfully complete a Core 13 program, obtain an official “EMT-Basic: Certificate of Eligibility for the NREMT-Basic Certification Examination” form (as completed by the EMT-Instructor) and achieve a passing score on the NREMT-Assessment Examination. Upon successful completion of these requirements, the person wiil be issued an EMT-Basic certification card.

Detailed reciprocity information is in section 8:40A-7.3 Reciprocity of the New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Basics: Training and Certification regulations.

How to Become an Paramedic in New Jersey if You are Currently Certified by the NREMT and/or Another State

If you are validly certified as an EMT-Paramedic by the NREMT or a state other than New Jersey which has required you to complete a training program equivalent to or greater than that required of New Jersey EMT-Paramedics and that adheres to the program curriculum, you will be eligible for reciprocity. If training hours are below what is required, the mobile intensive care hospital sponsoring the student may provide any additional clinical experience needed to complete this requirement.

The first thing you need to do is obtain the sponsorship of a mobile intensive care hospital then apply jointly with that sponsoring mobile intensive care hospital for reciprocity.

If your application for reciprocity is approved you’ll be issued a provisional EMT-Paramedic certification that’s valid for one year or the duration of the out-of-State certification, whichever is the lesser amount of time.

Detailed reciprocity information is in section 8:41A-4.2 Reciprocity of the New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic: Training and Certification regulations.

New Jersey EMT Applicants with Criminal Convictions

New Jersey follows very strict rules to deny anyone with a criminal record from applying to become an EMT. They state: Any student found to have been convicted of any crime or offense listed below shall be ineligible to sit for the NREMT-Basic Certification Examination or NREMT-Paramedic Certification Examination, and shall be so notified. A student that has been deemed ineligible to sit for the examination may apply to OEMS for a waiver.

Absent the granting of a waiver a person shall not be allowed to sit for the NREMT-Basic Certification Examination or NREMT-Paramedic Certification Examination if he or she has been accepted into a Pre-trial Intervention, conditional discharge or other diversionary program or has been convicted of:

1. Any crime

2. Any disorderly persons offense; and/or

3. A petty disorderly persons offense involving the possession, utilization, sale and/or distribution of any controlled dangerous substance; representing a risk of harm to the health, safety or welfare of patients; and/or involving patient abuse or patient neglect.

For more information see the New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Basics: Training and Certification regulations and/or New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic: Training and Certification regulations.

EMT Jobs in New Jersey

Check the job board to find EMT jobs in your area.

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Resources

New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services
NJ Department of Health and Senior Services
Office of EMS
[500-599] John Fitch Way
Market and Warren Streets 
Trenton, NJ 08611
Phone: (609) 633-7777
Fax: (609) 633-7954

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians

New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Basics: Training and Certification regulations

New Jersey OEMS Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic: Training and Certification regulations

New Jersey Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class information

New Jersey Paramedic Programs