- 4,513
- 3,241
- 113
I absolutely hate the NR.
I can't think of another profession that has to repeat an abbreviated version of their entire original education every other year. I also can't think of one that disallows you from recertifying just because you happen to be between jobs when your recert date falls.
I had to let me NR go a year ago because I was too busy with CRNA school to work with any ALS agency, even prn. But of course, you have to be "active" with an "ALS agency" in order to recertify with the NR.....
This is the second time I've lost my NR because I wasn't working as a paramedic when it was time to recert. The first time I had left my job just a few months before and was working in an ICU, enrolled in a BSN program, and was going back to work shortly for a 911/CCT company. I took about 4 months off from EMS but because March of my recert year just happened to fall during that period, I lost my card.
So the slob who only runs a few calls a year and hasn't taken any real education at all since he finished paramedic school 10 years ago is fine to recert as long as he keeps his job with "Low Acuity, Low Volume EMS Squad" and pencil whips the CME form, but someone like me who is taking time off from EMS to study graduate level physiology, pharmacology, airway management, ultrasound, etc is SOL and has to go through the whole stupid process for a THIRD TIME if I want to get my card back.
Yeah, makes tons of sense.
End rant.
