COLUMBUS, OH June 04-05,2020 —The National Registry Board of Directors met on June 4-5, 2020 for an abbreviated virtual meeting. The meeting only addressed essential business matters as highlighted below

• 50th Anniversary The National Registry of EMTs celebrated its 50th Anniversary on June 4th. The Board had a preview of an historical video highlighting various milestones of the National Registry’s history. That video is now available at this Link.
• Organizational Update. The Board received a business briefing on the organization. Despite the pandemic, operations are continuing and the volume of examinations being administered continues to rise. The use of online proctoring and remote working have yielded positive returns for the organization and will play a role in the future “new norm.”
• National Registry’s COVID-19 Response To Date. The Board and staff overviewed the organization’s COVID-19 actions taken to date:
  • Extended the recertification date for EMTs, AEMTs and paramedics from March 31, 2020 to June 30, 2020, including the Recertification by Examination (RBE) and audit response date. We also removed limits of distributive education. We did not extend a late reinstatement period for the 2020 recertification period. (20-MOTION-01. 03/12/2020)
  • Changed the course eligibility and examination validity dates from 24 months to 30 months for all candidates with course completion dates from March 2018 through August 2020 to compensate for the disruption in the testing network. (20-RESOLUTION-05; 03/19/2020)
  • Removed limits of distributive education for EMRs recertifying in 2020. (20-MOTION-08; 04/15/2020)
  • Issued provisional certifications for all candidates that had completed eligibility requirements, course completion and successfully completed the cognitive examination. All provisional certifications were issued with an expiration date of 12/31/2021 to provide sufficient time for completion of psychomotor examinations. At least twenty states are issuing limited state licenses based on provisional certification. (20-MOTION-03; 3/17/2020)
  • Initiated online proctoring examination for EMT and AEMT candidates starting on May 12. Also worked with Pearson VUE to have testing centers opened for essential personnel only (EMTs and nurses initially). (20-RESOLUTION-04; 03/19/2020)
• Provisional certification and modified psychomotor examination. The Board discussed how long the provisional certification will continue to be in place and how long the modified ALS psychomotor examination will need to continue. As of now, it is too early to determine when either will be able to discontinue. The rapid, dynamic, and unpredictable nature of COVID-19 makes it currently difficult to put an “end date” with the provisional certification and the modified psychomotor examination.
• Board Actions taken during Board meeting:
  • ALS Practice Analysis (20-MOTION-09). The Board received and approved the 2019 ALS practice analysis for AEMT and paramedic. The practice analysis is a snapshot of the AEMT and paramedic types and frequency of clinical presentations in prehospital care, the criticality or potential for harm of the clinical presentations, and the knowledge, skills and abilities that encompass care at the AEMT and paramedic levels.
  • EMR Certification Scheme (20-MOTION-10). The Board provided final approval of the EMR certification scheme for full implementation in March 18, 2021. The Board provided initial approval during its November 2019 meeting. The public comment period yielded nothing substantive. The EMR certification scheme centralizes and specifies the scope of the certification, job and task description, required competence, required abilities, prerequisites, and applicable code of conduct for EMR certification. The EMR certification scheme aligns with the certification schemes previously approved by the Board for EMT, AEMT, and paramedic.
  • Interstate Compact and Commission Support and Related Policy Development (20-RESOLUTION-12 and 13). The Board passed two resolutions with the first focused on the National Registry’s reaffirmation of its support of the EMS interstate compact and the Commission, as well as a resolution focused on finalizing the development of policies and procedures necessary to put the interstate compact database into full development.
  • New EMT at Large National Registry Board Director. The Board elected Mr. Braxton Morrison of Vinton, IA as its EMT-at-Large member. Mr. Morrison brings to the position his experience as a veteran of the United States Army, a nationally certified and state licensed paramedic, specialty EMS certifications, a certified Iowa law enforcement officer, and more. Mr. Morrison will officially assume his position during the upcoming National Registry Board meeting.

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Media Contact:

Shane Cartmill
Communications & Marketing Manager
scartmill@nremt.org