"It took about 6 months to do it and the continuing ed seems to take alot of time."
Yep. I went most every Saturday between October and March for 8 hours of classroom instruction. Several exams by the instructor, and lots of practical evals by current EMTs....... THEN took a National Registry Exam and THEN applied for a State of Nebraska Liscense........ a huge investment in terms of time and money.
I did this through my local Volunteer Fire Dept. - all members are required to be EMT-B as a minimum. I had to write a check for the class and one for the National Registry Exam....... and I get reimbursed IF I passed the class and make enough calls to remain on the Dept. ....... and sometime in the next 14 months, I have to take Firefighting I class, which I understand has just gotten longer/more expensive...................
All that said, I would do it again in a second. Good Stuff to know.