National Registry Board Makes Distributive Education Waiver Permanent

COLUMBUS, OH—The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician’s board of directors announced August 25, 2022, that 22-Resolution-06, or the permanent removal of limits on distributive education, is approved following the 60-day comment period. This resolution, which goes into effect on September 30, 2022, applies to all requirements for continuing education, including recertification, state license and re-entry eligibility requirements, and refresher training after three failed examinations. 

All EMTs, AEMTs and paramedics due to recertify on March 31, 2023, and beyond, and EMRs due to recertify on September 30, 2023, and beyond, will have no limits on distributive education (or online continuing education). The removal of limits now allows all four levels of providers to accomplish continuing education online through any state-accepted or CAPCE-accredited program. In-person continuing education will continue to be accepted.

“The limits on distributive education were initially waived due to the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply put, classrooms were not open or available,” said Bill Seifarth, National Registry’s chief executive officer and executive director. “It became clear throughout the pandemic that many stakeholders wanted to retain the option for online education permanently.” 

Seifarth added this was a decision that was not taken lightly. “The board had extensive conversations and lengthy deliberations before voting to make the waiver permanent,” said Seifarth. “The board took into consideration multiple viewpoints, including the 60-day comment period, which revealed an overwhelming positive support of the resolution.”  

The draft resolution was introduced at the board’s June 2022 meeting and sought to make permanent the waiver that has been in place since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, limits on online continuing education were waived for EMRs on August 7, 2020, and then extended to the remaining levels later that month. The waiver was eventually extended through 2022 for paramedics, AEMTs and EMTs due to recertify on March 31, 2022, and EMRs due to recertify on September 30, 2022. 

The National Registry’s board of directors also passed 22-Resolution-01 and 22-Resolution-09. Resolution-01 will continue to allow live report proctoring (LRP) for EMR and EMT. Resolution-09 extends the recent ALS Practice Analysis to expand current domains on the ALS examination and to add clinical judgment.

Visit www.nremt.org