Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) must renew their licenses every two years. Many do this by taking an emergency medical technician recertification course. If you’re planning for your EMT recertification renewal by continuing education, it’s best to compare your program options online. The National Registry outlines which courses are accredited for continuing education, and your chosen course must fit these criteria. This ensures you have the necessary information to keep your knowledge and skills up-to-date.
Recertification by Continuing Education
Continuing education renews your EMT license by completing an EMT course. This must be done within your recertification cycle. You can take either an accredited in-person or online course.
Continuing education is an ideal recertification pathway for EMTs who want to refresh what they know, and learn new processes and practices that may have surfaced since their initial certification.
The National Continued Competency Program
The National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) is a model that streamlines the recertification process by outlining the required education needed to renew your license. It comprises three categories: national, state or local, and individual components.
EMTs must complete forty total hours to apply for recertification. This is broken down into twenty credits for the national component, ten credits for the state or local, and ten credits for the individual components.
The national component tackles five key topics:
- Airway/Respiration/Ventilation
- Trauma
- Cardiology and Resuscitation
- Medical and OBGYN
- EMS Operations
The local or state component depends on your local EMS Office or agency. The individual component is more flexible, but must be related to providing patient care.
Accepted EMS Education
The National Registry accepts the following education:
- Approval from your US State EMS Office or Designated Authorizing Agency (DAA)
- Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education (CAPCE)
- Outlined in the National Registry Accepted Education and Documentation, Academic Credit, and Alternative Recertification Credits policies.
Continuing education must be at the same or a higher level as your current certification.
The National Registry doesn’t establish, approve, or accredit education. However, it reviews courses to check if they meet recertification requirements.
Accepted Education Categories
The most common education categories for EMT recertification are:
- Academic or college courses from an accredited college and university that are related to the EMT role
- Standardized courses (within the maximum number of credits allowed per course)
- Initial EMS programs presented by an agency that meets the accreditation requirements
- Refresher course content (if taken during the recertification cycle)
What Isn’t Accepted
The National Registry does not accept the following for continuing education:
- Paid or volunteer working or duty hours for any organization, agency, or medical facility
- Clinical rotations that aren’t part of an EMS education program
- Instructor methodology courses, including courses to become an instructor or achieve instructor-level certifications
- Management or leadership courses, including business management and leadership programs and fire or EMS administrative courses
- Preceptor hours that an individual takes to become a preceptor or that cover preceptor methodologies
- Time spent serving as a skills examiner or participant
- Duplicate courses, such as those that have the same content or title and are instructed by the same program, instructor, or organization within the same certification cycle
- Most core or general education college course topics, like chemistry, biology, sociology, and psychology, that don’t apply directly to EMS
Finding the Right Online Program
Here are some tips to guide you when comparing recertification programs online:
Look for Accreditation
Make sure your chosen provider or course is accepted by the National Registry for recertification. For example, The Paramedic Coach’s online EMT recertification program is CAPCE-accredited, so it can help with EMT certification renewal paperwork.
Check Out the Course Offerings
Look at the course content to check if it contains what you need to pass the forty-hour credit requirement for recertification. Ensure that it follows the NCCP model–even better, find a course that can equip you with new knowledge and skills.
Field Your Choices
Once you have at least three programs that look promising, consider your learning style, time you have available, budget, and personal preferences. Which programs check most (if not all) of these boxes? That will help you narrow down your choice.
The Paramedic Coach’s Online Emergency Medical Technicians Recertification Program
The Paramedic Coach’s CAPCE-accredited online EMT recertification program is an engaging way to gain recertification. You’ll get all the information you need in a way that’s easy to understand. Don’t wait, enroll in our program today!
