How to become a certified EMT in Puerto Rico
This is a genuine licence, not a certification. The local title is Técnico de Emergencias Médicas (TEM), issued in two grades — TEM-B for basic and TEM-P for paramedic — by the Junta Examinadora de Técnicos de Emergencias Médicas, created under Ley Núm. 310 de 2002 and attached to the health department's Oficina de Reglamentación y Certificación.
What you need
A high school diploma or equivalent. An accredited TEM-B or paramedic course built on the federal Department of Transportation curriculum. CPR at Module C level, AHA or equivalent. For TEM-P, an ACLS advanced cardiac resuscitation certificate as well.
The route
Complete the course, then file the solicitud de admisión a examen with the Junta and pass its theoretical and practical examinations, offered at least twice a year. Licences run three years and renew on documented continuing education — the Board recognises NAEMT continuing education offerings — with recertification and Good Standing verification handled through the ORCPS portal.
What catches people out
The curriculum standard is pinned to the federal US Department of Transportation EMS curriculum, but the licence itself is purely local, examined by a Puerto Rico board — and it runs on a three-year cycle rather than the two-year cycle common on the mainland.
EMT salary in Puerto Rico
Public-sector rates are published through the convocatorias. The Department of Public Safety posting for Técnico de Emergencias Médicas – Paramédico gives a minimum of $22,900 a year, a maximum of $32,100, and an authorised recruitment salary of $27,500, at salary scale level 3. The progression that matters most is TEM-B to TEM-P: the paramedic licence requires the ACLS certificate on top of the basic course and moves you to a different scale.
Source: Departamento de Seguridad Pública convocatoria NCEM-2022-38, empleos.pr.gov, as published at September 2026.
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