International Paramedic Registry to Certify Providers Beyond U.S.

Paramedics in nations with developed EMS systems possess certain knowledge and have demonstrated certain competencies—that’s required for them to practice. But where systems are less advanced, providers called paramedics or EMTs may have had little preparation for the complexities of field care—perhaps as little as a first aid or 16-hour trauma course.

Citizens of those countries deserve caregivers educated to certain minimum standards just as much as those in other nations, and the idea of the new International Paramedic Registry (IPR) is to provide a mechanism for those providers to prove their competency. It’s a certification service for countries with burgeoning EMS systems that need an unbiased, credible and rigorous external verification process, much like the service the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) provides state offices in the United States.

“By helping measure and ensure competencies, we’ll assist participating nations in implementing internationally recognized standards,” says David Page, MS, NRP, PhD(c), chair of the IPR’s Assessment and Credentialing Board. “We’re working with government entities, ambulance services, fire departments and educational institutions so IPR certifications can be localized in existing cultural contexts and then widely recognized and adopted as national standards in those countries.”

The IPR won’t grant permission to practice; that right remains reserved to each country by its own method. But it will verify providers who have passed its exams bring a minimum level of knowledge and skills to the table. The exams will be constructed using “internationally recognized standards and an unbiased, accredited, robust and academically rigorous process” to ensure their quality.

The IPR will launch this year in Mexico and Colombia, where local partners have been working to validate exams and set up testing infrastructure. The project is a collaboration involving the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) and Ascend Learning, with numerous other top EMS organizations and stakeholders participating (or invited to) in various capacities. A U.S. Advisory Committee should be in place by July.

The IPR won’t be offering its services or competing with NREMT in the United States. “IPR supports and promotes the current U.S. model for national accreditation and certification. It’s meant to help countries that are in need of a model and are requesting assistance,” Page says. The organization is in close communication with the National Registry to work in concert to promote accredited and unbiased methods of competency verification.

The expected benefits of such independent certification for international providers are several:

• It should facilitate hiring and training in participating countries;
• It should enhance reciprocity and assist providers who practice across borders; and
• It will provide transnational employers (e.g., oil companies, hotels, transportation companies) a recognized path to assure knowledge and skills.

The IPR will offer basic-level certifications similar to EMR or EMT, as well as an advanced certification for higher-level providers. Exams will have cognitive and practical components and be performed in the test-takers’ native languages. “We’ll collaborate with local technical councils to adapt international standards to local practice,” Page explains. U.S.-based IPR representatives will supervise every exam, which could be held at NAEMT’s network of training centers.

The initiative will kick off at EMS 2017 next month in Copenhagen, Denmark, with an inaugural reception May 22 at the Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center. For more information, e-mail chair@iprcert.net.