Seeking Accreditation:
“We are all on the same page: Improving patient care.”
Paramedic Program Director
The CoAEMSP has the Letter of Review (LoR) process, which is the official designation that a Paramedic program is in the “Becoming Accredited” process.
While a program that qualifies for a LoR must still complete the entire process to demonstrate substantial compliance with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accreditation Standards, and is not guaranteed an award of accreditation, holding a LoR does signify that the program is making satisfactory progress in the accreditation process.
As such, after January 1, 2013, the NREMT recognizes graduates of CAAHEP accredited programs as well as graduates of programs holding a CoAEMSP LoR, as eligible for the national Paramedic certification examinations.
Sponsors &
Consortiums
Accredited Paramedic programs are sponsored by colleges, universities, hospitals, clinics, medical centers, U.S. armed forces, governmental educational or medical services, and by consortium. Programs can vary in length and must include an appropriate sequence of classroom, laboratory, hospital, and field internship activities.
If a program is seeking accreditation with a sponsor that is a post-secondary academic institution, the sponsor needs to be accredited by a regional or national institutional accrediting agency (or equivalent) that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The regional or national institutional accrediting agency will be listed here.
Becoming
Accredited
In an historic move at the NASEMSO (National Association of State EMS Officials) 2010 Annual Meeting, NASEMSO membership voted to support CAAHEP (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs) as the national EMS programmatic accreditor. In related action, the NREMT (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians) announced eligibility requirements for paramedic testing based on graduation from a nationally accredited EMS program, which went into effect January 1, 2013. The review of programs seeking accreditation is based on the CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for Educational Programs in the Emergency Medical Services Professions.
NEED HELP? Contact:
Mike Miller
214.703.8445, ext. 120, mike@coaemsp.org
More on Becoming Accredited
Resources
Take advantage of the array of accreditation tools provided by CoAEMSP to assist programs, such as explanations, articles, and webinars.
Learn from Frequently Asked Questions, articles, and video testimonials about the importance of national accreditation and why your program should become accredited.
Accreditation Process:
List and Cycle
Resources
CAAHEP Accreditation Process Cycle| Jan-2024 | Download |
