EMS Trainee

Emergency Medical Specialist Trainee · FDNY

FDNY trains you as an EMT, on salary. No written test: you're scored on your education and experience.

Minimum salary $36,330 a year, per the Notice of Examination for Exam 6054 (read September 25, 2026). The rate is subject to change, and the next exam's notice may list a different rate.

≈ $17.47/hr equivalent · $1,397 every 2 weeks, before taxes.

On the clock, that's 0.49¢ a second.

That is above NYC's $17/hr minimum wage, plus city benefits.

Pay

$36,330/yr

The work

Education and experience exam: no written test

Exam

Civil service exam

Residency

Might be required, within 90 days

Timeline

Months. Filing, scoring, the list, screenings and a 4-month training program all come before you work as an EMT.

Check yourself

Do you meet the requirements?

Check every box that applies. Be honest. Twenty seconds.

I'll be at least 17 by the last day of filing Exam 6054's age requirement, measured on the last day of the application period. I have a high school diploma or its equivalent, plus 6 months of full-time work, military service with an honorable discharge, or 15 college credits Or: you graduated after finishing FDNY-approved EMS coursework at a NYC high school or vocational training center. On Exam 6054 the diploma could come up to a year after filing closed, but the experience had to be done by the last filing day. I'll have a New York State driver license by the day I'm appointed The notice says moving violations, a suspension or an accident record may disqualify you, and you must keep the license for the whole job. I don't already have a valid EMT certificate from any state The notice says current EMTs aren't eligible for the Trainee title. The city's schedule lists a separate exam for Emergency Medical Specialist - EMT.

The process

6 steps. That's the whole process.

0 of 6 steps

Done: Create your OASys account

OASys is the city's exam system, and one account covers every exam you file for from now on. Use an email you can open: OASys sends a confirmation to verify it.

OASys, the city’s exam filing system (official)

Done: File for the exam

Exam 6054's filing window ran October 1 to November 25, 2025, and it's closed. The city's exam schedule lists the next one, Exam 7032, with filing planned for October 7 to November 18, 2026. Its notice isn't posted yet. On Exam 6054 the fee was $54.00, plus a 2.00% service fee if you paid by card. Veterans, unemployed people, and people receiving public assistance or supplementary security income could get the fee waived.

File in OASys (official)

Done: Fill out the Education and Experience Exam

There's no written test. Your score comes from an Education and Experience Exam you fill out in OASys. Meeting the minimums gets you 70 points. Extra points, up to 100, come from hands-on patient care work, certain college credits, and certifications like Basic Cardiac Life Support. Final Submit it by midnight on the last filing day. If you don't, you get no score and no refund.

Notice of Examination No. 6054 (PDF), read this first

Done: Get on the eligible list and wait

Pass and you land on a ranked eligible list, which typically lasts 4 years. Hiring goes down the list as openings come up. This takes months. It's not a rejection. It's how civil service works.

Done: Clear the screenings

Before you start: a qualifying physical test, a medical and psychological exam, a drug screening, proof of identity and your right to work in the U.S., and an investigation with a $102.50 fingerprint fee. You must be able to wear a respirator, so no facial hair that breaks its seal. If you have a misdemeanor or felony conviction, you need a clearance letter from the New York State Department of Health.

Done: Train, get certified, start the job

A 4-month FDNY training program, then an EMT certification exam and a New York State EMT certificate. Pass those and you move up to Emergency Medical Specialist - EMT without another exam. Probation is 16 months. You sign a Forgivable Loan Agreement: leave before 3 years (156 weeks) as an EMT and you owe part of your training cost. Expect nights, weekends, holidays and all kinds of weather.

EMS Trainee

Do you meet the requirements?

6 steps. That's the whole process.

Get told before this exam closes.

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