Interested in being part of Wake County EMS? Here's how.
2024 Hiring Timeline
Applications will open in late January 2024 and close May 5, 2024, at 19:00
- Interviews and testing will be held during February, March, April and May 2024.
- Those hired from this assessment process will start with Academy 44 in July 2024. **There may be an additional academy in May 2024.**
Applications will open late May 2024 and will close Sept. 8, 2024, at 19:00
- Interviews and testing will be held during June, July, August and September 2024.
- Those hired from this assessment process will start with Academy 45 in November 2024. **There may be an additional academy in September 2024.**
Applications will open late September 2024 and will close January 1, 2025, at 19:00
- Interviews and testing will be held during October, November and December 2024 and January 2025.
- Those hired from this assessment process will start with Academy 46 in March 2025.
*You may apply for a position you have not yet received certification for, as long as you state test for that certification prior to the start date of the academy. We will publish academy start dates once confirmed.
Here's a Look at Our Hiring Process
- Online Application (If posted, EMT and A-EMT positions are listed as "EMS Technician" and "Advanced EMS Technician.")
- Physical Ability Test (PAT required but deferred until academy if hired.)
- Assessment Center (Virtual)
- Written Test to your certification level – virtual during pandemic
- Oral Interview Panel – virtual during pandemic
- Patient Care Simulation using high-fidelity manikin (deferred until academy if hired)
- Academy – required for all certifications and experience levels
Our hiring process typically runs three times a year and begins with the open application period. Paramedic positions are posted on the Wake County Human Resources page. In some hiring sessions, we’ll also post EMS Technician positions, which are for EMTs or Advanced EMTs. There are far fewer EMS Tech positions than paramedic positions, so EMS Tech hiring is less frequent.
The written exam and simulation are graded based on national standard curricula.
Candidates are not required to know Wake County EMS System protocols to successfully complete these assessment stations.
Open application periods generally begin about 6 months before Day 1 of the academy. Applications usually remain open about 10 weeks, but the length of the period may vary.
It is important to understand that the hiring process may take up to 3–6 months before those who are hired reach their first paid workday, which is Day 1 of the academy. The length of time it takes depends on when during the open application period you apply.