Recertification for all levels of EMS providers is a requirement to maintain your individual certification. Maintaining your certification is a requirement for maintaining a valid license. (This can be confusing especially since these terms are used interchangeably. We’ve written an article on the differences between certification and licensure, you can view it HERE). Each level of provider has a different continuing education (CE) requirement to maintain their certification.¹ In 2012, the NREMT launched the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) to streamline the recertification process. The NCCP has three sections the EMS professional must fulfill in order to complete their recertification. Those components are National, State/Local, and Individual. For more information on the NCCP, click HERE.

EMRs are required to have a total of sixteen hours of continuing education:

National Component:

• One hour of airway/respiration/ventilation, two and a half hours of cardiovascular, one half-hour of trauma, three hours of medical, and one hour of operations.

Local/ State Component:

• Four total hours that satisfy the State and/or Local jurisdiction’s requirements to maintain licensure.

Individual Component:

• Four total hours of personal preference content. These hours can cover whatever content most interests the EMS professional.

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EMTs are required to have a total of forty hours of continuing education:

National Component:

• One and a half hours of airway/respiration/ventilation, six hours of cardiovascular, one and a half hours of trauma, six hours of medical, and five hours of operations.

Local/ State Component:

• 10 total hours that satisfy the State and/or Local jurisdiction’s requirements to maintain licensure.

Individual Component:

• 10 total hours of personal preference content. These hours can cover whatever content most interests the EMS professional.

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AEMTs are required to have a total of fifty hours of continuing education:

National Component:

• Two and a half hours of airway/respiration/ventilation, seven hours of cardiovascular, three hours of trauma, seven and a half hours of medical, and five hours of operation.

Local/ State Component:

• 12.5 total hours that satisfy the State and/or Local jurisdiction’s requirements to maintain licensure.

Individual Component:

• 12.5  total hours of personal preference content. These hours can cover whatever content most interests the EMS professional.

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Paramedics are required to have a total of sixty hours of continuing education:

National Component:

• Three and a half hours of airway/respiration/ventilation, eight and a half hours of cardiovascular, three hours of trauma, eight and a half hours of medical, and six and a half hours of operations.

Local/ State Component:

• 15 total hours that satisfy the State and/or Local jurisdiction’s requirements to maintain licensure.

Individual Component:

• 15 total hours of personal preference content. These hours can cover whatever content most interests the EMS professional.

For a breakdown of the hours requirements in a single table view, click HERE

    To complete these hours, there are four options for CE courses set forth by CAPCE (Commission on Accreditation for Pre-Hospital Continuing Education). They are divided into F1 - F5 courses. F1 courses are one-time, in-person classes or conferences that provide continuing education opportunities for providers. F2 courses are also in-person events, however, they are “cyclical” meaning you must retake these classes on a scheduled basis (e.g. CPR class that requires recertification every 2 years). F3 courses are “indirect” or “distributive” education courses that can be completed online, or through other electronic-based communication. EMT-CE.com has many of these courses that are all CAPCE accredited. F4 courses are currently non-existent. Lastly, F5 courses are VILT or Virtual Instructor-Led Training. These are courses where the instructor and student interact virtually and the instructor is able to track the student's progress through completed tasks and assignments.2

    The varying types of CE courses listed above, allow all providers to choose options that work best for them and their learning styles. These courses also allow providers to choose specific topics based on what their CE needs are in a given recertification cycle. For more great information on continuing education and the requirements set forth by each state, check out www.EMT-CE.com.

1. Detailed Recertification Requirements By Level. National Registry for Emergency Medical technicians. Available at: https://www.nremt.org/rwd/public/document/recertification. Accessed January 30th, 2019. 
2. F1-F5 Explained. EMT-CE Website. Available at: https://emt-ce.com/info/f1-f5-explained. Accessed January 30th, 2019.