Establishing International Paramedic Standards
On Monday, May 22, the International Paramedic Registry (IPR) officially launched at EMS 2017, held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The IPR is supported by many associations in the United States and abroad as 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. The IPR will not be operating in the United States, but instead will work cooperatively with the NREMT domestically.
The IPR will:
• Develop a standardized process and tools to accurately evaluate knowledge and skills required for credentialing that will allow for learning to be measured, compared and analyzed;
• Offer recognized credentials that will enhance public understanding and trust, and elevate the status of prehospital care.
The standards will be developed in conjunction with NAEMT’s International College of Paramedicine (ICP), which will:
• Establish a common scope of practice model with standards of care and core competencies;
• Identify a maintenance standard and the requirements for continuing education;
• Provide advice and guidance to country-specific IPR initiatives.
The IPR evaluations will be based in the practitioner’s native language. Local technical councils help ensure cultural context is appropriate and meets international core minimum expectations.
International Paramedic Certifications
The expected benefits of such independent certification for international providers are several:
• Facilitate hiring and training in participating countries;
• Enhance reciprocity and assist providers who practice across borders;
• Provide transnational employers a recognized path to assure knowledge and skills;
• Offer basic-level certifications similar to EMR or EMT, as well as an advanced certification for higher-level providers.
U.S.-based IPR representatives will supervise every exam, which could be held at locations among NAEMT’s network of training centers.
In other international news, the UCLA Prehospital Care Research Forum (PCRF) will be launching a two-day International Scientific EMS Symposium (ISS) at EMS World Expo in Las Vegas, October 18–19, to reinvigorate and organize the EMS community’s use of data to inform best practices.
Researchers worldwide are invited to submit their abstracts to www.prehospitalcare.org. Attendance to ISS is free for EMS World Expo attendees.
Scott Cravens, EMT, is publisher of EMS World.
