The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) expects all professionals to comply with continuing education requirements for paramedic recertification or their relevant qualification level, with an alternative option to retake the exam every two years.
Most choose the continuing education route, given the complexity and rigorousness of the formal exam process. Paramedics, for example, must provide evidence of completing sixty hours of qualifying continued education split into the national, local, and individual components according to the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) framework.
Let’s look at how accredited paramedic recertification courses help emergency medical professionals hit their CE requirements as a brief and concise guide to paramedic license renewal to ensure you know what to expect.
Is Continuing Education Mandatory for NREMT Paramedics?
While we’re focused on the paramedic certification and renewal process, it’s important to clarify that recertification, either via continuing education or exam, applies to all levels of National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certification, from EMR and upward.
The number of hours of learning completed every two years varies between qualification levels, but all must complete learning through one of the following:
- A CAPCE-accredited provider
- An EMS education program
- A US-accredited college or academic program
- State EMS office-approved providers
Other credits can only be validated and counted towards the total hours required if they comply with the National Registry Alternative Recertification Credits Policy, which means you cannot choose an unrecognized program or course.
Importantly, continuing education is mandatory from a national certification standpoint. Lapsed certifications can limit your ability to work in certain states and in roles where a current and up-to-date national accreditation is necessary to either obtain state licensure or to be recognized as a qualified medical professional.
What Counts Towards NREMT Continuing Education Credits for Recertification?
Alongside studying through an approved course provider, there are specific rules about the nature of the education program and the content you study. Some courses are excluded and cannot be used towards your recertification, including:
- Duplicate courses covering the same content
- Instructor or management courses
- Volunteering hours
- Clinical rotations
Further, you need to check that you’ve studied the right content components and that your recertification submission is fully compliant with the NCCP requirements. Paramedics, for instance, need to evidence sixty hours of learning, but those hours must be split between thirty hours or thirty CE credits covering the national component, including areas like airway management, cardiology, trauma, medical, and operations, as you will have studied for your original NREMT exam.
The remaining hours or credits must be divided equally between local or state and individual components, showing educational learning or study programs contributing to EMS patient care.
How Easy Is It to Comply With the NREMT CE Requirements?
Continuing education is far from exclusive to emergency medicine. Still, it is widely considered a difficult requirement, especially for senior professionals working in highly pressured roles with long shift rotations and who deal with myriad responsibilities in their day-to-day roles.
However, ignoring recertification requirements or trying to cram in sixty hours of recognized study close to your renewal date is never wise. This can cause unnecessary stress and make it much more likely you’ll need to wait for your application to be reviewed–only to find it has been rejected.
The newly released NREMT recertification program from The Paramedic Coach has been designed specifically for busy emergency medical professionals. It is a CAPCE-accredited course that offers everything you need to achieve certification and evidence of CE study in one easily accessible place.
Rather than conventional book-based learning, spending hours in a classroom, or trying to squeeze in extra study time at the end of a busy shift, we’ve devised an accessible, user-friendly program that covers every requirement for recertification at all NREMT levels.
Does Online Continuing Education Count Towards NREMT Recertification Credits?
Online courses are perfectly valid, but you’ll still need to check that you’re using an appropriately accredited and approved course. The NREMT is happy to accept either in-person or online courses, provided you can show that you have met the requirements through a recognized provider.
We know that online study removes much of the difficulty of continuing education, and have created our video-based lessons, easy-to-navigate program structure, and simplified learning style to ensure recertification is as straightforward as possible, leaving you to focus on your career, knowing your CE is taken care of!
