The National Registry introduced a new continuing education (CE) program known as the 2025 National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) in December 2023. This program aims to encourage Nationally Certified EMS personnel to engage in lifelong learning while offering state and local agencies the flexibility to tailor continuing education to their specific operational requirements.
Welcome Educators! Virginia has adopted the new National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) model set forth by the National Registry of EMTs, with an effective date of October 1, 2023 for all certification levels. While maintaining the NCCP's framework, Virginia's approved plan provides customized details outlining standardized course equivalencies, credit allocations across topic domains, and maximum hours accepted for each course offering. This webpage serves as a comprehensive guide to Virginia's Standardized CE Program, ensuring you meet the latest continuing education requirements to maintain your national EMS certification. Please review the resources provided as you plan your professional development over the next recertification cycle.
Here's a 120-second snapshot on what you need to know as an Education Coordinator regarding the implementation of Virginia's 2016-2025 Virginia Recertification Requirements -- you are strongly encouraged to take a deeper dive into the who, what, where, why and how, by taking a look at the blue panels below for detailed information.
Virginia has officially adopted the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) model with some state-specific customizations. Here's the quick take:
Across all three areas, it's the provider's responsibility to participate in relevant, substantive CE that will enable them to recertify with Virginia and the National Registry--if they choose.
The following graphic shows the 2016-2025 Virginia Recertification Requirements by provider level. Please note the requirements are tied to the date of the provider's last Virginia recertification cycle--October 1, 2023 is the key date which determines what CE requirements apply to the provider moving forward. The very first statement you make is:
"Show me your current CE Report."
When a provider comes to you with questions about the new Virginia CE requirements, their CE Report is crucial to the entire process. As far as how the transition will work, look to the two scenarios below.
If the provider recertified in Virginia on or after October 1, 2023:
- No earned CE will be lost or removed from your report in the transition.
- The CE earned and currently on their Virginia CE Report--from October 1, 2023 forward--will be retroactively transitioned to the new 2025 Virginia Recertification Requirements.
- The retroactive reprocessing of their CE to the new 2025 requirements may possibly change the number of hours their have in a specific areas based on the new requirements.
- Please review their Virginia CE Report with them to identify any areas that may be affected and require additional CE to be earned in order to be eligible for recertification in Virginia and with National Registry if applicable.
- If the provider is eligible for recertification in Virginia on June 17th, their eligibility will not be lost and they will not be required to complete additional CE based on this change in CE requirements to satisfy their Virginia recertification.
- If the provider is National Registry certified and they plan to maintain that certification, they must review their Virginia CE Report against the Registry NCCP 2025 requirements to ensure that they have earned enough CE in the correct areas to satisfy Registry recertification.
If the provider recertified in Virginia before October 1, 2023:
- No earned CE will be lost or removed from their report in the transition.
- Their Virginia CE Report will not be transitioned and will not change.
- They will remain under the 2016 Virginia Recertification Requirements through their next Virginia recertification cycle.
- Following their next recertification in Virginia, they will then be required to follow the 2025 Virginia Recertification Requirements.
Please see the chart below to see the hours changes between the 2016 model and the 2025 model--clicking on the image will begin a download of the PDF version of the form.
BLS & ALS Recertification Requirements
Effective June 18th, you will no longer be able to request a CE course or any auxiliary courses mapped to the 2016 Virginia CE Requirements. All courses available for selection in the EMS Portal will be mapped to the new 2025 Virginia CE Requirements. The CE you will award off of these courses will be awarded as usual to providers who fall under both scenarios described in section: "The 120-second Snapshot."
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) is implementing an updated model for continuing education and recertification called the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP). This new standardized approach goes into effect for EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics with recertification dates on or after March 31, 2026.
What is the NCCP? The NCCP streamlines the recertification process into three strategic categories of continuing education requirements:
- National Component (50%)
- State/Local Component (25%)
- Individual Component (25%)
Why the Change? The goal of the NCCP is to encourage nationally certified EMS professionals to pursue lifelong learning while allowing flexibility to customize continuing education based on national guidelines, state/local protocols, and individual training needs.
Key Points About the NCCP Model:
National Component (50%)
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- Based on current trends in evidence-based medicine, scope of practice changes, and guidance from EMS organizations
- Topics include airway, cardiology, trauma, medical emergencies, and operations
- Increased focus on low-frequency, high-criticality patient presentations
- Must include 10% pediatric content
- Standardized courses eligible for credit hours are outlined in the National Component Course Guide
State/Local Component (25%)
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- Continuing education defined by your specific state, regional, or local agency protocols and needs
- Covers areas like local protocols, specializations, high-risk/priority domains for your area
Individual Component (25%)
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- You choose any state or CAPCE approved EMS-related education courses based on personal interests and goals
Total CE Hours Required: The total required CE hours combines the 3 components for your certification level:
- Paramedic: 60 hours
- Intermediate (Virginia ONLY): 55
- AEMT: 50 hours
- EMT: 40 hours
- EMR: 16 hours
For more information on Virginia's implementation of the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP), please see the fourth panel below. Details about the rollout and where you as a provider stand in this transition, please see then sixth panel below. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here and using this form.
Here are the key changes and new elements in the 2025 NCCP model compared to the previous 2015 model:
National Component (50%)
Evidence-Based Guidelines Focus
The 2025 model has an increased emphasis on incorporating evidence-based guidelines (EBGs) that meet criteria set by the National Academy of Medicine into the National Component. NREMT has partnered with the Prehospital Guidelines Consortium to provide open access to these peer-reviewed EBGs.
Topics
While cardiovascular, trauma, airway, medical, and OB still comprise the broad categories, the 2025 model provides more comprehensive topic areas like neurology, stroke, geriatrics, and disaster management under the umbrella of "Medical."
State/Local Component (25%)
No Major Changes
Individual Component (25%)
No Major Changes
Pediatric Content
IMPORTANT: For those maintaining your Registry certification, pediatric content must constitute 10% of the National Component. Pediatric CE content is not tracked as a separate area by the Virginia CE Reporting system. To make it easier to calculate the pediatric content, all CE topics which are considered pediatric will begin with a prefix of "PED".
It is the responsibility of the provider to be able to justify attainment of the 10% of pediatric hours if they cannot be easily determined by OEMS staff and the provider is selected for audit by the National Registry.
Standardized Course Requirements
The Virginia Auxiliary Course Breakdown outlines which courses qualify for credit hours in each domain, often with maximum caps, can be found in a panel below.
Total CE Hours
The total CE hour requirements for each level have not change. Each of the areas have either slightly increased or decreased compared to 2016. Please see the panel below for details of the new CE hour requirements by level being implemented statewide.
In order to ensure Virginia's changes match those of the Registry, Virginia will retroactively apply the changes to October 1, 2023. Virginia CE Reports will be updated and on June 18, 2024, provider CE Reports will reflect the new 2025 CE requirements.
Documentation
In summary, while maintaining flexibility for state/local and individual education, the biggest changes are the formalized National Component structure for 2025, use of EBGs, addition of operational topics, and providing a standardized course framework defining what qualifies in each domain.
Virginia Review & Approvals
A dedicated workgroup from the Training & Certification Committee has meticulously crafted a document outlining the revised CE breakdown for Virginia certification levels. This proposal reviewed and approved by both the Training & Certification Committee and the Medical Direction Committee. It was forwarded to the EMS Advisory Board and received unanimous approval in early May. You can find this document in a panel below.
The core of Virginia's implementation of the National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) is the breakdown of continuing education into three components: the National Component, the State/Local Component, and the Individual Component. Together, these three elements ensure EMS professionals in the Commonwealth meet consistent national standards while also targeting localized training needs and individual focus areas over each recertification cycle.
For the National Component, Virginia has adopted the NCCP's Model of allocating 50% of the total required CE hours to this domain. However, the Commonwealth has outlined specific level-by-level hourly requirements that EMS providers must meet in order to recertify their NREMT credentials. The National Component thresholds are: 30 hours for Paramedics, 28 hours for Virginia Intermediates, 25 hours for Advanced EMTs, 20 hours for EMTs, and 8 hours for Emergency Medical Responders. These represent half of each level's total CE load over the recertification period.
In addition to the National Component requirements, Virginia EMS professionals must also fulfill the State/Local Component (25% of total hours) and the Individual Component (remaining 25%). Details on the hourly minimums for each level in these two categories, as well as the comprehensive total CE load per level, can be found on the Component Requirements page. Understanding your certification level's required distribution is crucial for maintaining compliance with Virginia's CE Program.
The following image shows the 2016-2025 Virginia Recertification Requirements by division. Clicking on the image will begin a download of the PDF version of the form.
BLS & ALS Recertification Requirements
A dedicated workgroup from the Training & Certification Committee has meticulously crafted a document outlining the revised CE breakdown for Virginia certification levels. This proposal received unanimous approval from the EMS Advisory Board in early May.
Overview of Virginia Changes
Virginia received approval from the EMS Advisory Board on May 17, 2024 to implement modifications to the NCCP Model 2025 guidelines put forth by Registry. These Virginia-specific changes were then retroactively applied to all Virginia EMS providers' continuing education reports starting October 1, 2023. This ensured Virginia's alignment with the new national standards for those seeking to maintain NREMT certification.
The most significant changes made by Virginia focused on the Standardized Course Equivalence within the National Component:
Standardized Course Maximums
- Virginia set defined maximum credit hour limits for how many hours from each standardized course could be applied to the different domain areas (airway, cardiology, trauma, etc.)
- For example, while NREMT allows unlimited ACLS credits in the cardiology domain, Virginia caps it at 5 hours maximum.
- These course maximums vary across the different standardized courses and topic domains.
Pediatric Credit Breakdown
- Virginia provided specifics on maximum pediatric credit hours that can be awarded for each applicable standardized course.
- For courses like PALS, APLS, NRP, the pediatric maximums are detailed.
Expanded Courses
- Virginia's equivalence guide includes additional courses beyond NREMT's list that are eligible for credit hours.
- Examples are Tactical Combat Casualty Care courses, additional ICS/NIMS courses, EMS Safety, and EVOC.
In a word, while following NREMT's framework, Virginia implemented specific maximum credit hour limitations and pediatric credit constraints for each standardized course across the National Component domains. They also expanded the list of accepted courses eligible for credit hours.
These changes were retroactively applied to provider CE Reports effective October 1, 2023 to uphold Virginia's approved NCCP plan moving forward under the new 2025 model adopted by NREMT. The Virginia Standardized Course Equivalence Requirements are shown below--clicking on the picture will download the full document.
Answers for Provider FAQ's
- I haven't recertified since October 1 of last year, what does this mean for me? Well, the short answer is nothing right now. No changes were made to your CE Report and your requirements for recertification remain the same as they have since 2016. In the future, when you recertify in Virginia, you will then fall under the new 2025 Virginia Recertification Requirements. You have nothing to worry about right now.
- My friend told me OEMS adopted National Registry CE. I'm not Registry certified, are they requiring us to get Registry now? No, Virginia is not requiring you to obtain certification with the National Registry. This is to make it easier for those who are Registry certified to renew our certification.
- I hear the Office changed the hours for CE. Why are they doing that? The overall number of hours that you are required to take has not changed. You will find that the number of hours you have to take in each area has slightly change.
- What's up with all the changes to CE? Was any of this really necessary? The Office made changes to its CE requirements to remain in alignment with National Registry. CE requirements were modified by National Registry based on a new, updated National EMS Scope of Practice Model which is based on the types of calls that you run most.
- Are these decisions made in Richmond without any input from the EMS community? No, in fact we do--the providers in the EMS system. The State EMS Advisory Board works in conjunction with its sub-committees to drive policy changes in Virginia. Once the policy documents are drafted and approved, OEMS takes them and works toward system wide implementation.
- I heard this took place last year, why are we just now hearing about it? These changes are retroactive to October 1, 2023--that is the date that Registry certified providers can begin earning CE toward their next recertification. It turns out there was some miscommunication at National Registry and the states were not told about these changes until December 2023. Virginia has been working since that time to make these changes as quickly as possible, however these changes had to go through the EMS Advisory Board committees in order to be vetted.