How to become an EMT in South Dakota

South Dakota licenses EMTs through the Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners (SDBMOE), the same board that licenses physicians. Everything below comes from the Board's EMS page, its EMS licensure application guide and state law, SDCL 36-4B-14, checked October 18, 2026.

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.

South Dakota, step by step

South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners

  1. Exam: pass the National Registry exam and hold current Registry certification (or a current license from another state) at the EMT level.
  2. Application: entirely online through your own MySD account; you can start up to 30 days before your program ends and list the Registry exam as "pending."
  3. Affidavit: print the Board's affidavit, attach your photo, and sign it in front of a notary on the same day; upload a color copy with the ID you showed the notary.
  4. Fingerprints: required for EMT applications. The Board mails a packet with its own cards once your checklist is created (no other cards accepted), or you can arrange a LiveScan at the Board office.
  5. Fees and age: not printed on the Board's pages; an initial license fee only carries you to the next renewal date. Ask your program.
  6. Renewal: online through MySD, opening 90 days before expiry; let it lapse and it is forfeited or suspended. You report whether you hold current Registry certification or finished the required continuing education.

Sources: SDBMOE, emergency medical services; EMS licensure application guide; SDCL 36-4B-14 (license issuance). 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.

Official pages