EMT-Intermediate 85 - National Registry of Emergency Medical ...

EMT-Intermediate85Requirements forNational EMS CertificationBecause it’s Important to the Public!Accredited by the National Commissionfor Certifying Agencies

National EMS Certificationis Important to the Public!National EMS Certification is important to the American public.It assures them that the EMS professionals providing care arecompetent. The goal of the NREMT is to offer this assurance tothe public. Obtaining National Certification is the best way foryou to communicate to the public and your employer that youhave demonstrated a national level of competency. NationalCertifi cation provides a standard that American citizensdeserve—at their moment of greatest need. This brochurewill help you understand the process of obtaining NationalCertification as an EMT-Intermediate/85. More informationis available on the NREMT website.www.nremt.org

The Role of the NREMTThe founding of the NREMT in 1970 came as a result ofrecommendations made by President Lyndon Johnson’sCommittee on Highway Traffic Safety. The committeeproposed the establishment of uniform standards for trainingand examination of personnel active in the delivery ofemergency ambulance service. Since then, uniform standardshave been established for training and examination of thepeople who provide out-of-hospital emergency medicalcare. As a non-profi t, non-governmental, independentcertifi cation agency, the NREMT provides four distinctareas of service:• Entry level competency assessment• A Registry of nationally certifi ed EMS professionals• Re-registration process• Research that benefi ts the EMS communityThe NREMT is governed by a Board of Directorsrepresenting the broad EMS community. The Board consistsof twenty-one individuals—including physicians, state EMSoffi ce offi cials, EMS professionals, educators, and membersof the public—highly regarded in their respective areasof practice. We encourage you to review the biograph icaloutlines that cover the accomplishments of the distinguishedmembers of our Board of Directors. More information isavailable on the NREMT website.Accreditation by the National Commission For CertifyingAgencies (NCCA) is the highest assurance that the health,welfare and safety of the public is being met through acredible exam and certifi cation process. Accreditation alsoensures that the NREMT complies with the standards outlinedin the “Standards for Education and Psychological Testing,”developed jointly by the American Psychological Association(APA), American Educational Research Association (AERA)and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).

www.nremt.orgCertification means you have met the standards of thecertifi ying body in credentialing. Certifi cation is recognized byemployers, state licensing agencies, and the public as beingtied to competency.State Licensure, on the other hand, is what gives you theright to work in a particular capacity. Nationally certified EMTswho are not state licensed cannot practice. After you obtainNational Certification, you must obtain a license to work.As a certifying body, the NREMT is not a membershipassociation. In contrast, the National Association of EMTs(NAEMT) is the membership association that promotes andadvocates the EMS profession. We encourage you to join theNAEMT once you become certifi ed by the National Registryof EMTs.

Entry RequirementsIndividuals applying for EMT-Intermediate/85National Certification must meet the followingrequirements:• 18 years of age or older.• Current National Certifi cation or state licensure at theEMT-Basic (or above) level.• Successful completion of a state-approved EMT-Intermediate/85 course that meets or exceeds the U.S.Department of Transportation EMT-Intermediate/85National Standard Curriculum. You must have completedthe course within the past two years. Your Program Directormust verify your successful completion of the course on theNREMT website.If your initial Intermediate/85 educational programwas completed more than two years ago and you havemaintained state licensure at the Intermediate/85 level,you must submit documentation verifying completion ofan Intermediate/85 refresher training program within thepast two years. If your initial Intermediate/85 educationalprogram was completed more than two years ago andyou never gained state licensure at the Intermediate/85level, you must complete an entire state-approvedIntermediate/85 course prior to applying for certifi cation.• Complete a National Registry online application, includingLicensing Action and Felony statements. The NREMT maydeny registration or take other appropriate actions inregards to applicants for registration or re-registration

www.nremt.orgwhen a felony conviction has occurred. Complete informationabout the NREMT Felony Policy can be found on the NREMTwebsite under General Policies.• Verifi cation from the Program Director that you hold a currentCPR credential for health care providers and have demonstratedcompetence in EMT-Basic skills.• Successful completion of the EMT-Intermediate/85 cognitive(written) exam that tests your knowledge, and a psychomotor(practical) exam that tests your ability to safely and effectivelyperform emergency patient care.Complete information on Entry Requirements and applying forcertifi cation can also be found on the NREMT website.

Certification ProcessTo become Nationally Certified, you will need to:• Complete a state-approved EMT-Intermediate/85training course• Receive verification of course completion fromyour program director• Successfully complete a cognitive (written) andpsychomotor (practical) examAll NREMT certifi cation levels require successful completionof both cognitive (written) and psychomotor (practical)exams. Passed portions of the exam (both cognitive andpractical) remain valid for a twelve (12) month period.Candidates not completing the remaining portion of theexamination within that twelve (12) month period arerequired to repeat the invalid portion.Cognitive ExaminationCommitted to determining competency in the most fair,accurate and precise method possible, the NREMT usescomputer adaptive testing (CAT) to deliver the EMT-Intermediate/85 cognitive (written) exam. With computeradaptive testing, each question is tailored to the individualcandidate. This means that if you answer a questioncorrectly, the next question can be slightly more challenging.If you answer a question incorrectly, the following questionwill be slightly easier. With each question you are asked, thecomputer algorithm statistically re-estimates your ability.This estimate gets more and more precise as the examprogresses. This means no two exams are exactly alike. Theexam, however, is designed so that all competent candidatescan pass. The number of items a candidate can expect onthe EMT-Intermediate/85 exam will range from 85 to 135.The maximum amount of time given to complete the EMT-

www.nremt.orgIntermediate/85 exam is 2 hours and 15 minutes. All examsinclude pilot test items that do not count for or against yourexam results. Pilot questions are being evaluated for possibleinclusion on future exams. There is no way for you to identifypilot items, so it is in your best interest to answer everyquestion to the best of your ability.There are two important concepts to remember about CAT:1. There is no minimum number or percent of correct itemsneeded to pass as with a traditional paper-and-pencil test.2. All candidates will be challenged to the limit of theirability, so everyone taking the exam will think it wasdiffi cult.The exam will cover the entire spectrum of EMS care including:Airway and Breathing, Cardiology, Trauma, Medical, Obstetricsand Pediatrics, and EMS Operations. The NREMT will providefeedback on your performance in these areas in the event youare unsuccessful in passing the exam.

Candidates are given three opportunities to pass thecognitive exam provided all other requirements for NationalCertifi cation are met. After three attempts, candidates mustsubmit offi cial documentation verifying completion of 36hours of remedial training. The candidate is given threemore attempts to pass, provided all other requirements forNational Certifi cation are met. Candidates who fail to passafter a total of six attempts are required to completely repeatthe EMT-Intermediate/85 educational program.In order to pass the exam, you must meet a standard level ofcompetency. The passing standard is defined by the abilityto provide safe and effective entry level emergency medicalcare. Refer to the NREMT Annual Report (available on theNREMT website) for current national pass rates.Scheduling the Cognitive ExamThe cognitive (written) portion of the NREMT exam is acomputer-based exam that is given at authorized PearsonVUE testing center locations on a date and time convenientfor you. To schedule your exam:• Create an account and complete an application on theNREMT website.• Pay your application fee of $100 which is non-refundableand non-transferable. This fee is charged for each attemptof the cognitive examination.• You will receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) once you areeligible to take the exam.• Once you receive your ATT, you can then schedule yourtest with Pearson VUE. Additional scheduling details areprovided in the ATT letter. Complete information on theapplication process can be found on the NREMT website.Psychomotor ExaminationThe psychomotor (practical) exam provides a hands-onopportunity for you to demonstrate the skills you have learned.Arrangements for this exam should be made with thedesignated Examination Coordinator at a scheduled NREMTAdvanced Level Practical Examination site. A current listingof scheduled examination sites can be found on the NREMT

website. The National Registry Representative who overseesadministration of the practical examination will forwardresults from your psycho motor (practical) exam to the NREMTfor offi cial processing.At an approved National Registry practical exam site, youmust demonstrate competency over the following skills forthe EMT-Intermediate/85:• Patient Assessment-Trauma• Adult ventilatory management (endotracheal intubation(ETI) or dual lumen airway insertion)• Intravenous therapy• Random basic skills (one of the following)– Spinal immobilization-Seated Patient– Spinal immobilization-Supine Patient– Bleeding Control/Shock ManagementDetailed information on what will be expected of you in thesestations can be found on the NREMT website.NREMT Intermediate/85 candidates are required to completea total of four (4) skills when taking the entire practicalexamination. Grading of the practical examination is on aPass/Fail basis. Failure of two (2) or less skills (when takingthe entire NREMT-Intermediate/85 practical) entitles thecandidate to two (2) retesting opportunities of just the skill(s)failed. If a same-day retest is offered at the examination site,only one (1) retest attempt may be completed at that test.Retests must be completed in an all-or-none fashion. TheNREMT cannot score or report incomplete practical attempts.Candidates are not permitted to complete only a portion ofthe skills that need to be retests.You are strongly encouraged to review the detailedinformation about testing, failure, and re-testing policieson the NREMT website.Be sure to take a pencil and official photoidentification (driver’s license) to thepsychomotor (practical) examination site.

General InformationAs in other professions in which the safety ofthe public is paramount, emergency medicalservices providers need to meet continuingeducation and refresher requirements every twoyears to maintain National Certification. Keepingyour National Certification current attests to thepublic and to your employer that you are preparedto provide competent and safe emergencymedical care. More information on re-registrationis available on the NREMT website. You willalso be sent more information with your initialcertification materials.Lapsed CertificationIf your National EMS Certifi cation lapsed as anIntermediate/85 within a two year period or you arecurrently state licensed as an Intermediate/85, you canobtain National EMS Certifi cation by completing a stateapprovedRefresher course and successfully completingthe cognitive and psychomotor examinations. If your EMScertifi cation expired more than two years ago, you mustcomplete an entire state-approved Intermediate/85 course,and complete the cognitive and psychomotor examinations.

www.nremt.orgADA CompliancyThe NREMT complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) of 1990, and offers reasonable accommodations forindividuals with disabilities. Pearson VUE test centers arealso ADA compliant.For more information about accommodations for the exam,see the NREMT website under General Policies.Disciplinary Policy and Rightsof AppealAny unscrupulous activity including but not limited tosubmission of fraudulent or misleading information, cheatingof any kind, misrepresentation, or attempts to recreate portionsof the exam are subject to investigation and disciplinaryactions. The NREMT reserves the right to inform state EMSoffi cials of the outcomes of any investigations. The NREMThas disciplinary procedures, rights of appeals and dueprocess within its policies. Requests to appeal must besubmitted in writing (non-electronic) within 45 days of thedate of the notice of determination.Updating Your NREMT Accountis CriticalOnce you become Nationally Certifi ed, it is necessary foryou to update the NREMT in the event of change in contactinformation. The NREMT wants to be able to provide youwith additional information such as policy changes,educational opportun ities, re-registration information, andjob opportunities in your area. Be sure to update your accountin the event of an address, phone or email change.If you are currently Nationally Certifi ed but do not have anaccount on the NREMT website, you can set one up anytime.

Organizations that nominatemembers to the Board of DirectorsAmerican College of Emergency PhysiciansNational Association of EMS PhysiciansNational Association of State EMS OfficialsInternational Association of Fire ChiefsAmerican Ambulance AssociationNational Association of EMTsAt-Large PhysiciansAt-Large EMS ProfessionalsPublic MemberLiaison OrganizationsAmerican College of Osteopathic Emergency PhysiciansAmerican College of SurgeonsAmerican Heart AssociationAmerican Red CrossCommittee on Accreditation for EMS ProfessionalsNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)Department of DefenseEmergency Nurses AssociationMaternal and Child Health BureauNational Association of EMS EducatorsNational Volunteer Fire CouncilU.S. Air Force Medical ServiceU.S. Army Medical CorpsU.S. NavyPayments or contributions to the National Registry ofEmergency Medical Technicians, Inc., are not deductible ascharitable contributions for Federal Income Tax purposes.Payments may be deductible as a business expense.If in doubt, please contact your tax advisor.The NREMT website serves as the NREMT policy manualand will reflect the most up-to-date policies. Please refer towww.nremt.org for questions about NREMT policy.The Registry does not conduct business by e-mail.Please call 614-888-4484.

NREMTP.O. Box 29233Columbus, OH 43229614-888-4484www.nremt.org