As of December 31, 2012, the same standard will be implemented for paramedics in the US. 

 

In November, 2007, the National Registry of EMT’s Board of Directors voted to require applicants for national paramedic certification to graduate from a nationally accredited educational program by the end of 2012.
Program accreditation will be granted by The Committee on Accreditation for EMS Educational Programs (CoAEMSP) – the only national accrediting agency for EMT-Paramedic Programs.

The mission of the CoAEMSP, under the auspices of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP), is to continuously improve the quality of EMS education through accreditation and recognition services for the full range of EMS professions.

The accreditation standards will constitute the minimum requirements to which an accredited program is held accountable.  CAAHEP describes these standards as the following: “To prepare competent entry-level Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedics in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains,” with or without exit points at the Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate, and/or Emergency Medical Technician-Basic, and/or First Responder levels.

CAAHEP is the accreditation expert while CoAEMSP is the profession's expert. In other words, CoAEMSP is a member of CAAHEP because it is a nationally recognized accrediting body for EMT-Paramedics. CAAHEP provides legal liability coverage to CoAEMSP and assures oversight and due process to all programs that participate in the CAAHEP system of accreditation.  As such, CAAHEP is responsible for handling all appeals that are a result of a CoAEMSP's recommendation and the CAAHEP Board of Directors’ subsequent action.

The rigors of accreditation will be challenging and will focus on a program’s resources, curriculum and personnel including program director, medical director and faculty.  A student and graduate evaluation/assessment will be performed along with outcomes assessment and reporting.  Fair practices will also reviewed, including publications and disclosures, lawful and non-discriminatory practices, safeguards, student records, substantive change and agreements.

The NREMT’s decision to require new paramedics to graduate from accredited institutions comes after nearly twenty years of discussion in the industry. When a 2006 Institute of Medicine Report specifically made the recommendation for paramedic training accreditation, the ball really began rolling in the right direction.
The National Registry exam is already used in Missouri, and the Missouri Department for Health and Senior Services and the Bureau of Emergency Medical Service have opted to comply with this positive change.  Until 2013, newly trained paramedics will graduate from state approved institutions.