> EMTs need to get an EMS license/certification
I love EMTs. I was one. I'm a paramedic. I train new EMTs. But the EMT course is 160 hours, and is designed and tested to be passable as a high school junior. Let's not use that as a comparison.
Most of these positions also have zero to minimal continuing education requirements which often, let's be real, are trivial. Quick online courses that can be busted out in a couple of hours, or "go to this hotel in a nice location, spend a couple of days, and go to the conference room off the lobby for a couple of hours in the morning".
Software engineering? You have people saying here - with a straight face - "Yeah, a 3-4 hour take home exam at every company you interview at is entirely reasonable" for the rest of your professional life.