NREMT Implements Paramedic Program Accreditation Requirement

January 9, 2013

Source: NREMT

As previously announced, all Paramedic students who begin their education on or after January 1, 2013, and wish to obtain National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) National EMS Certification at the Paramedic level must successfully complete their Paramedic education at an accredited program or one that is seeking accreditation sponsored by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

The National Registry Board of Directors made the decision regarding Paramedic program accreditation in 2007. Requiring a single national accreditation agency for Paramedic educational programs follows the recommendations of the National EMS Education Agenda for the Future: A Systems Approach (2000). Implementation of accreditation has been recommended in the Institute of Medicine report EMS at the Crossroads (2006). The NREMT partnered with many stakeholders in the EMS community, including the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP), to ensure Paramedic education programs prepared for this new requirement.

Paramedic applicants who are enrolled in non-CAAHEP accredited programs that began prior to January 1, 2013, currently licensed State Paramedics, and those who graduated from non-CAAHEP accredited programs prior to January 1, 2013 will remain eligible for NREMTs National EMS Certification at the Paramedic level, provided all other requirements for NREMT certification are met.