General FAQs

Yes, This program has been approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and meets the requirements for licensure in Texas and graduates from our program are eligible to take the NREMT examinations to become nationally certified. The NREMT requires programs to be state approved prior to allowing you to register in their system.

No, students from all over the country are invited to participate in SWEMSA’s course offerings. At the successful completion of the course you will be given the ability to sit for the National Registry of EMTs exam. Once you have successfully completed the National exam, you will apply for your EMT certification in your home state.

You must be 18 years or older PRIOR to the start of skills testing. Students who do not meet this requirement can start the online portion but cannot attend the EMS Skills Camp until they are at least 18 years of age. Keep in mind that the entire course, including skills, has to be completed within one year of registration.

Have a high school diploma or GED; if the student is a senior in high school, they must have a letter from their school counselor confirming their expected graduation date.

Complete and pass a criminal background check as well as a drug screen through our contracted service provider no more than 30 days prior to arriving at our facility for EMS Skills Camp or any campus event.

Submit proof of required immunizations.

You must be currently certified in Healthcare provider CPR before attending the Clinical Ride Out Phase. Those that are not certified will have the opportunity to complete this step while attending the skills camp for an additional fee.

The majority of the course is structured online and generally takes 6 months from start to finish.

Our skills academy takes place on our campus in Burnet, Texas. We are located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country approximately 40 miles west of downtown Austin. We are conveniently located about an hour from Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

Our skills academy takes place Monday thru Friday, 8AM – 7PM scheduled after the completion of the didactic portion of the course.

If you’re not local to the area and need a place to stay, there are several hotels near our facility. We suggest checking travel sites such as hotels.com to find the best price. They are:

• Comfort Inn & Suites Burnet
• Best Western Post Oak Inn
• Motel 6 Marble Falls
• Best Western Marble Falls Inn
• Quality Inn Marble Falls
• Hampton Inn Marble Falls-On The Lake
• La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Marble Falls
• Holiday Inn Express Hotel Marble Falls

Another option is using Airbnb to rent a room or entire home during your stay.

If you need any help finding a place to stay or some advice on a location in the city, please let us know!

All students who successfully complete the SWEMSA course will attend the Skills Academy which will take place at our campus. Once a student arrives on campus they will be taught all of the hands on skills that are needed to be a successful EMT. At the completion of the Skills Academy, students will meet with one of our Clinical Counselors to schedule their internship portion of the class.

Internships are scheduled per student and at the location of SWEMSA contracted clinical and field sites. At the completion of the internship process the student will be approved to sit for the National Registry of EMTs exam.

All students are required to ride along in our internship program with an EMS agency that they select from our approved locations. These rideouts tend to be the highlight of most EMT students educational career.

1. You may utilize Paypal Financing as a third party financing option or call our office at 512-575-8100 to choose our in-house payment plan for the Self Paced EMT Course.
2. Southwest EMS Academy Payment Plan:
   • Self Paced EMT Course Tuition $1900
   • Administrative Payment Plan Processing Fee $250
   • Total is $2150

Payment Plan Breakdown If Paying By Paypal/Credit Card:

• 1st Payment of $1117.89 down payment due at registration.
• 2nd Payment of $1117.89 due 30 days from start of class.

Notes:

• Students can begin the class while making payments
• Payments received more than 10 days late will incur late fees of $10 per day and a $50 reactivation fee. Learning Platform will be suspended, and students will not be able to progress in the course until payment and reinstatement fee has been received.

It is recommended that all students have access to a strong and stable internet connection. A large portion of the class is taken online so a good internet connection is very important.

The attached form lists the vaccinations that are required to attend the EMT program.

Immunization Requirements

NOTE: If you are enrolling in our EMR program, immunizations are not required.

EMT Admission Requirements 

EMR Admission Requirements