The American Heart Association (AHA) has released its 2025 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care, reflecting the latest science in resuscitation, cardiac care, and patient outcomes. As a recognized national standard for life-saving interventions, these guidelines play an essential role in shaping EMS education, training, and certification.
To ensure alignment with these new recommendations, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (National Registry) has begun a comprehensive review and update process across its certification examinations.
Review of Current Certification Examination Content
The National Registry is actively reviewing the newly released 2025 guidelines and all operational (live) test questions to identify any that may conflict with the 2025 AHA updates. This process will occur over time to ensure that updates are made carefully and in accordance with National Registry policy. Any questions found to be inconsistent with the new guidelines will be removed. These efforts ensure that every examination continues to reflect the most current clinical practices in emergency care.
Developing Future Examination Questions
In addition to reviewing current examination content, the National Registry will develop new test items based on the updated AHA guidelines. These new items undergo a detailed process before they appear on an examination, including:
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Review by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who ensure medical accuracy and relevance to EMS practice.
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Pilot testing (unscored test questions) to collect data and confirm fairness and reliability.
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Accreditation compliance reviews to maintain the highest testing standards.
Because this process is intentionally rigorous, the newly aligned questions are expected to become operational within 12–15 months. This timeline allows EMS programs to simultaneously update their curricula and coursework and gives students ample time to learn the new material before encountering it on an examination.
Supporting EMS Educators and Students
The National Registry encourages EMS educators to begin examining and updating their curricula alongside the release of the new guidelines and National Registry actions. This coordination helps ensure that students receive consistent, up-to-date instruction that aligns with what they will see on certification examinations.
“The 2025 AHA updates are comprehensive, motivating, and will help the EMS community to deliver care that is based in reputable research practices and conducted by the best clinical scientists,” said Paul Rosenberger, EdD, NRP, ICE-CCP, National Registry Examinations Content Development Manager. “The changes will require intense work for the educator and National Registry, but our patients deserve our united best efforts to make the impending modifications.”
Commitment to Evidence-Based Practice
These efforts demonstrate the National Registry’s commitment to maintaining accurate, current, and evidence-based certification examinations. By collaborating with EMS Clinicians, Educators, and Medical Directors, the National Registry ensures that every Candidate is tested on the skills and knowledge that matter most for providing safe and effective patient care.
Media Contact:
Kelly Schroeder
Manager of Integrated Content & Communications
kschroeder@nremt.org
The National Registry, established in 1970 as a non-profit organization, is the Nation’s Emergency Medical Services Certification organization. The National Registry is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. The National Registry maintains NCCA accreditation for each of the four certification programs: Emergency Medical Responder (NREMR), Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (NRAEMT), and Paramedic (NRP). Credentialing protects the public, assures consumers that professionals have met standards of practice, advances the EMS profession, and establishes standards of professional knowledge, skills, and practice. Additional information is available at NREMT.org and LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and X.