Most large cities and counties require their firefighters or other city employees to also be trained as emergency medical technicians. This is one way to obtain the training --- by becoming an employee or volunteer firefighter and getting the training through the city or county training program. Some smaller cities or counties that do not have their own training programs will direct students or employees to the closest city that offers this training and certification. Contact a specific city or county to find out what its specific hiring and training process is.
There are online degrees where one can learn at his own pace and cover the necessary material to pass the NREMT test. Web sites such as trainingdivision.com and percomonline.com offer a selection of courses that are taken from the convenience of home. The price of these courses range from $500 to $4,000, depending on the level of training desired.
Some colleges offer associate's degrees in areas that give the necessary information to become NREMT-certified. Colleges such as Sanford-Brown, which is located in 16 states, offers an associate's degree in emergency medical services or paramedic. Other state and private universities offer similar degrees at their campus and online universities allow people to earn a similar associate's degree. One such is Kaplan University's associate of applied science in fire science.
To become a certified EMT, a full degree is not necessary so many colleges offer non-degree certificate or diploma programs which often are quicker with fewer classes and less cost than a full associate's degree program. Sanford-Brown offers these certificates programs such as a certificate in emergency medical technician and diploma in paramedic. These programs cover the basics in becoming NREMT certified and can often be completed within six months to a year at most.