NREMT to Support National EMS Compact Project

July 29, 2016
July 2016 - The NREMT is excited to announce a commitment to supporting REPLICA, the Recognition of EMS Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact project. Every day, EMS practitioners cross state lines while caring for patients, responding to disasters, or performing other work duties. These routine occurrences present an assortment of legal, regulatory and compliance challenges: Each state has laws protecting and regulating the EMS profession, so before an individual can practice—or in most states, even utilize titles such as EMT or Paramedic—the individual must complete the credentialing or license process specific to that state.

As a result, many of the nation’s EMS professionals maintain licenses and certifications in multiple states. Not only is this a cumbersome (and often expensive) process, this approach only works for individuals that anticipate far in advance the potential need for them to utilize their EMS profession in a secondary state. However, EMS personnel often encounter the need to practice across state lines with little to no advanced notice.

REPLICA provides a mechanism for EMS practitioners to easily overcome this barrier. When a state signs on to the EMS Compact—by the passage of a law adopting REPLICA—EMTs or Paramedics that are licensed/certified in that state are extended a privilege to practice in the other Compact states.

In addition, the compact also provides the legal framework for the State’s EMS regulatory agency to share enforcement actions or disciplinary actions taken with other Compact states.

Currently, states rely primarily on self-disclosure of disciplinary actions when new or renewal applications are submitted. A single, reliable database of these reports does not currently exist.

As an extension of the NREMT’s mission to protect the public and nation through national EMS certification, the NREMT will be providing this database, as well as the infrastructure and information technology solutions that are vital to the EMS Compact. In addition to serving as a repository for state officials to identify individuals whose license/certification has been revoked, suspended or restricted, the database will also provide a central location for the management of credential, licensure and privilege to practice information.

REPLICA was developed jointly between the Council of State Government’s National Center for Interstate Compact, The National Association of State EMS Officials, and a drafting team of subject matter experts. The compact was also reviewed and vetted extensively through a larger advisory committee, including the NREMT.
 

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Media Contact:

Shane Cartmill
Communications & Marketing Manager
scartmill@nremt.org