The most important goal of the national registry EMT is to provide staff that are fully qualified and able to assist patients when most needed. The EMT national registry is the recognized institute that EMT personnel will have to sit exams and qualify through. It will teach staff to understand what is involved in treating patients in and out of hospitals.
These qualified staff will need to perform very important duties when assisting patients and the national EMT registry will ensure they are more than capable. Such an important role an EMT worker has that strict qualifications and guidelines must be adhered to. The national registry of emergency medical technicians was founded in 1970 and was recommended by the committee on highway traffic safety. This committee proposed a national certification agency to establish uniform standards for training and examination of personnel that are active in the delivery of emergency ambulance service.
NCCA Accreditation
Committed to service excellence the NREMT holds accreditation from the National Commission for Certifying Agencies known as the NCCA. This is connected to the National Organisation for Competency Assurance known as NOCA. The NCCA is recognized as the authority on accreditation standards for professional certification organisations and programs. This means the standards set by the NREMT have been reviewed by the NCCA and is deemed credible for ensuring the health, well-being, welfare and safety of the general public.
Information About The National Registry Of EMT
The national registry is a non-profit organisation that provides a strict standard for determining the skill and knowledge required for emergency personnel. The registry offers a centralized location for certification, re – certification and continuing education requirements. Students will be required to complete a state approved education course that involves both written and practical exams. The NREMT certifies five different levels of EMS professionals from first responders to paramedic. Re-certification is required every two years which ensures that all personnel are always competent in what they are doing. This can be through taking the exam again or continuing education. Progress is conveniently tracked and documented on the NREMT website. The registry provides computer based exams which are fair, accurate and precise. Classes can be completed online which can be very beneficial not only to the candidates but to the educators as well. Candidates will be able to choose where to sit their final exams when finished their classes. Once qualified, the registry will update their database. This will be very beneficial for the public, state licensing agencies and employers as they will easily be able to verify the candidate’s qualifications. Due to the excellent work of the national registry the US public can be assured of a consistent high standard of all emergency medical technicians.
The Different Levels Of Training
There are different levels of EMT training and qualifications. The NREMT is a comprehensive government agency that ensures through accreditation that all EMT educational institutions maintain a very high level of standard established by the law. If you decide to apply for an EMT program make sure that they are accredited to the NREMT. If not, you will be unable to apply for certification or licensing. Once you have completed the appropriate EMT education program you will then have to apply for an assessment exam before you can take any national registry EMT test. You will need to be at least 18 years old when you apply. Once you have successfully completed the assessment and depending on your EMT educational and training level, you will then be allowed to take one of the six national registry EMT tests. The NREMT will send you an authorization to test, known as an ATT. The six different examinations that are available are:
- First responder – This is the first level of training. There are 80 to 100 questions in the exam and the cost of the exam is currently $65.
- EMT B – This stands for basic which is the next level of training which can normally be completed within just a few months of training. A high school diploma or GED is required. The exam comprises of between 70 and 120 questions and the cost to sit the exam is $70.
- EMT I – This is an intermediate level which increases levels of practice with additional training and field experience. There are between 85 and 135 questions in the exam and the cost is $100.
- EMT A – This involves an advanced level of training over the intermediate exam which costs $100 to sit the exam. There are 135 questions involved.
- Paramedic – Only when you have completed all the previous studies and skills are in place gained from practical and classroom experience can you become a paramedic. This is the highest level which normally takes one to two years to complete. This often results in an Associate degree. There are 80 to 150 questions involved and costs $110 to sit.
| Certification | Questions | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First Responder | 80-100 | $65.00 |
| EMT-B | 70-120 | $70.00 |
| EMT-I | 85-135 | $100.00 |
| EMT-A | 135 | $100.00 |
| Paramedic | 80-135 | $110.00 |
There are free EMT practice tests available to do which are a convenient way to prepare for any of the above EMT exams. These exams not only include what you have learnt, but also your ability to safely and effectively execute the tasks of an EMT. They will include such things as your ability to think, cognitive, and perform, psychomotor, in emergency situations so not to make a patient’s condition worsen. If you happen to be renewing your certification you would be required to take a refresher course according to National Registry EMT Test requirements and guidelines. This would need to be done within two years as if not you would need to complete another entire EMT course before taking your exam.
Available Jobs For A qualified EMT
There is always the need for qualified EMT’s. There are many different areas of workplaces that require dedicated and good workers. This can be in hospitals, frail care centers, hospices as well as assisting at large crowd sport and music events, schools and colleges.
People tend to forget about the need in those fields and normally just think of the more traditional jobs such as ambulance workers and fire fighters. Many EMT’s are so dedicated to assisting the sick or injured that they use this start in the health field to further their education and knowledge to springboard a move into other health care careers such as nursing, PA’s and some even continuing their education to become medical doctors.
Overview Of EMT Work
The Emergency Medical Technicians are usually the first point of contact for a patient who is unwell and need the assistance of an emergency worker. An EMT will always need to be responsible and careful as they will be handling the lives of people in need. Apart from this they will also need to be quick on their feet when answering an emergency call.
When studying to become an EMT they will learn all about essential first aid response in an emergency situation. Like medical professionals they will also undergo training on basic life support and advance cardiac support. EMT’s will be performing basic procedures according to physicians orders. All EMT’s will only be able to practice their profession once they are certified to do so. Some duties that an EMT may have to perform could include giving necessary medication, patient intubation, management of airways and giving ventilation. Depending on your rank of EMT qualification will determine what level of procedures you can perform. Only qualified paramedics can perform certain procedures. The ranking of an EMT will depend on the level of training they have done. An EMT must always upgrade because they need updated information on emergency procedures. A qualified EMT can be the difference of saving a patient’s life.
The Legal Differences Between Certification And Licensure
Many people think that these are the same. However there are important functional distinctions between the two concepts. The federal government has defined certification as the process by which a non government organisation gives recognition to an individual who has met predetermined qualifications specified by that organisation. This can be also deemed as voluntary where an individual has demonstrated the necessary level of skill and knowledge required in the profession.
The three hallmarks of certification are:
- Voluntary process
- By a private organisation
- This is by providing the public information on individuals who have successfully completed educational and testing requirements. They would also have demonstrated their ability to perform their profession competently.
Licensure is where the state grants legal authority. Under the licensure system, states define by statute the tasks and function or scope of practice of a profession and provide that these tasks may legally be performed only be people who are licensed to do so. As such, licensure restricts anyone from practicing the profession who is not licensed, regardless of whether or not the individual has been certified by a private organisation.
In the US there is often confusion between the terms certification and licensure because many different states call their licensure processes certification, especially when they incorporate the standards and requirements of private certifying bodies in their licensing statues and require that an individual be certified in order to have state authorization to practice. The national registry EMT is a private certifying organisation. The various state offices serve as the state licensing agencies. Certification by the national registry is a distinct process from licensure and serves the purpose of identifying for the public, state licensure agencies and employers individuals that have successfully completed the registry’s educational requirements as well as demonstrating their skills and abilities in the mandated exams.
National Registry EMT Summary
Before the national registry EMT was formed by President Lyndon Johnson’s recommendation in 1970 there were many thousands of people in the US each year that were permanently disabled due to the mishandling by poorly trained ambulance and emergency personnel. It was deemed that the patient was being mistreated twice, once by the injury or illness and once by failing to receive competent emergency care. This all fortunately changed once the new organisation was formed.
It took a number of years to really be efficient, but today if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being in need of emergency treatment you can feel rest assured that the level of service that you will get will be excellent. Since the 1970’s, pre-hospital emergency medical care has continually evolved and improved. The EMT has been acknowledged as an important member of the health care team. Excellent training programs have been developed and a vital focus has been placed on continuing education. High standards have truly been established. It all has helped that ambulance equipment essentials are set, national accreditation or paramedic programs have been achieved, and professional associations for the EMT have been organised. Without obtaining a licence through the national registry a person will not be able to perform any type of EMT job. You will need to study very hard, pass exams provided by the organisation before becoming qualified.
These stringent tests are certainly for the benefit of the public, knowing that the person who will be treating them in an emergency situation are fully trained and qualified to do so. The exams are difficult and extensive designed in a way to allow candidates to be tested whether they are ready for the job by testing not only their theoretical knowledge in performing emergency help but probably more importantly their practical skills including providing CPR to save a person’s life. With the National registry EMT being a highly critical organisation within the medical industry it would be very difficult to assess whether a candidate is ready to take on duties and responsibilities of an EMT worker without the organisation being in place.
We are all very aware how crucial the role of an EMT is and it should not be assigned to just any individual who wants it. Thanks to the national registry we can all be happy that this certainly is the case. The lives of many people on a daily basis will depend upon the services and assistance provided by a qualified EMT affiliated to the national registry.