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Becoming an EMT is one of the fastest ways into healthcare and emergency services in Arizona — a single course and the NREMT certification can get you on an ambulance. Here's the roadmap, with the Arizona training, certification, and employers that matter.
Where to train in Arizona
Arizona EMT courses run through the Maricopa and Pima community colleges and EMS academies — typically about a semester and roughly 120 to 170 hours, blending classroom work with hands-on skills and ambulance or ER ride-alongs.
Certification in Arizona
You pass the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) exam, and Arizona certifies you through the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Bureau of EMS and Trauma System. That ADHS certification is what lets you work on an Arizona ambulance or with an EMS agency.
Where the Arizona jobs are
Arizona EMTs work for private EMS agencies, fire departments, hospitals, and event medical teams across metro Phoenix, Tucson, and rural communities. EMT is the first rung — many Arizonans use it as a springboard to paramedic, the fire service, or nursing.
Ready to start? Browse live Arizona opportunities — internships, training programs, and scholarships across the state.
The NREMT certification is the gateway — and EMT is the first rung toward paramedic
One state-approved course and the NREMT exam are all it takes to start. From there you can climb to Advanced EMT and Paramedic, or use the experience as a springboard into nursing, fire service, or medical school — with little or no debt to start.
Keep going: see whether the trades are worth it, compare becoming a radiologic technologist, and check if it will pay off.