How to become an EMT in Arkansas

Arkansas licenses EMTs through the Department of Health's Section of EMS. Everything below comes from the Rules for Emergency Medical Services (effective October 28, 2024), checked October 18, 2026. Confirm fees with the Section before you pay.

Study aid, not a protocol. Nothing on this site replaces your course, your medical director or your agency's protocols. Built by an RN and former EMT. Headed In LLC is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) or any state EMS office; their names appear here only to point you to the real thing.

The national steps, briefly

  1. A state-approved EMT course

    Every state approves its own programs, all taught to the National EMS Education Standards. Most run 150 to 300 hours over three to six months.

  2. A healthcare-provider CPR card

    AHA BLS or an equivalent your state accepts, usually before clinicals.

  3. The cognitive exam

    The National Registry (NREMT) EMT exam: 70 to 120 adaptive questions in 2 hours, $104 per attempt, six attempts within two years of your course.

  4. Your state's license or certification

    The card comes from the state, not the Registry. The state's own steps are below.

The full national walk-through: How to become an EMT.

Arkansas, step by step

Arkansas Department of Health, Section of EMS

  1. Course: a Department-accredited EMT program, including every classroom, clinical and field internship requirement.
  2. Exams: the Arkansas practical skills exam (or documented verification of skills proficiency) and the National Registry certification process.
  3. CPR: a Department-approved card on current AHA guidelines with a hands-on skills component for healthcare providers, kept current.
  4. Background check: a state check, a federal check or both, depending on where you live.
  5. Fee: set by state law (Ark. Code 20-13-211) and paid online; it is not printed in the rules, so ask your program. You can have the initial fee waived if you receive Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, TEA or Lifeline, were approved for unemployment in the last 12 months, or earn under 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline.
  6. Age: not in the EMT section of the rules; ask your program.
  7. Renewal: renew your National Registry certification first; Arkansas will not issue the renewal without it. Lapsed two years or less adds 12 extra continuing education hours for EMTs; more than two years means starting over.

Sources: Arkansas Rules for Emergency Medical Services (effective October 28, 2024); ADH Emergency Medical Services. Checked October 18, 2026.

Practice for the exam, freeOur own questions, written to the national standards and tagged to the exam's 28 job tasks, with a Pass Meter.

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