Do you have to be incredibly book smart to graduate the medical portion?
You do not have to be extremely intelligent, just be dedicated and put in the time to study. It’s doable.
I’m currently a Rescue EMT-B. Would it be wise AND worth the extra 1.5 years to receive my EMT-P cert prior to joining?
No, you will get it paid for and it will take half the time once you make it to PJ school. I would recommend focusing on passing the past and hitting the old Indoc grad standards.
Would you recommend getting emt-b before joining Airforce?
No, unless you have a lot of time before you join the military for some reason. You will get all that stuff when you get in, and it doesn't really save you much time since emt-b only takes 1 month in the pipeline. Not to mention it’s free in the Air Force.