License to practice in all states?

KevinEMT

KevinEMT

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I work as an EMT in the bay area and also on an on call fire crew with the forest service. My chief told me I need to get a country wide license because we could get sent to a fire in any state. I'm pretty sure that you have to get a license per state right? Unless there is just a federal license?
 
No. Unless your Chief tells you what exactly to get, he's just talking out of his ***. At most, keep your NatReg current.

If you are deployed to another area, you operate under the scope you were certified to. Also, while you may have the opportunity to use your EMS skills while deployed as a fire crew, your primary function is not EMS. This is different if you are deployed as a line EMT (FEMT). If that is your function, you need to get that qualification added to your red card.

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There is no country wide license for Fire or EMT. Every state has different rules and regs on who and how they license.

In times of crisis/emergency/disaster, then the process can be streamlined, shortened or completely disregarded, but there is no official country wide license. Even your driver's license is not country wide...states just choose to honor it as you pass through with the provision you change to theirs if you move there.
 
When I've been deployed on wildland fires, I've provided the medical unit leader with a copy of my current state certification. There's a process the med unit leader goes through with the state EMS office, but for the most part it's along the lines of- "Hey here's a list of who is working for me on this fire and copies of their relevant certifications." Some states will only allow out-of-state paramedics to practice at the EMT level, if that's the case they'll let you know when you get there.

Outside of wildland, I have no idea how it works.
 
It's all state certifications, unless he means something like a wildland firefighter red card...which he could probably give you with a signature.
 
akflightmedic said:
There is no country wide license for Fire or EMT. Every state has different rules and regs on who and how they license.

In times of crisis/emergency/disaster, then the process can be streamlined, shortened or completely disregarded, but there is no official country wide license. Even your driver's license is not country wide...states just choose to honor it as you pass through with the provision you change to theirs if you move there.
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I don't think the drivers license is a good analogy. There is a clause in the US Constitution Article IV, Section 1 called "Full Faith and Credit" which means that one state is required to view the public acts (generally interpreted as a drivers licenses, court orders, and similar) of another state as valid.
 
Yeh cool. I think it was entirely relevant because exactly what I stated is true.

You could potentially move to a new state and be denied a driver's license due to their state laws. Now while this is far fetched because almost all the states have near identical laws, it is possible in theory. As I stated, there is NO NATIONAL license for driving or for Medical practice. At any time, either one COULD be honored, but as a whole you have to get a new license in each state you wish to reside or practice in.

Wish to argue semantics further? The fact remains there is no national license and both medical or driver's could be honored while passing through, however if you move there, you will need to get licensed for both in your new state.


Limitations of Full Faith and Credit
The Full Faith and Credit Clause does not require a state to substitute another state’s law or policy for its own, which means it does not have to honor something that is specifically against its own law. The issue of licensure is an example of this limitation. For example, Ron, who has a driver’s license in Arkansas, may legally drive during a visit to Missouri. If Ron moves to Missouri, however, he will be required to obtain a driver’s license in his new home state. This holds true for hunting licenses, marriage licenses, and firearm licenses.

Licensed professionals are another example of each state being allowed to maintain and honor only their own legislation. Doctors, pharmacists, contractors, attorneys, and other professionals who want to practice in multiple states must obtain a separate license in each state.
 
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Love me some Ron Burgundy.
 
Maybe he meant National Registry since the majority of U.S states take it as reciprocity. https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/statereciprocitymap.asp
Although not a licence (or certification) to practice in itself, it grants you the ability to obtain one via reciprocity. I have also seen federal employers on federal land accept it directly.
 
ExpatMedic0 said:
Maybe he meant National Registry since the majority of U.S states take it as reciprocity. https://www.nremt.org/nremt/about/statereciprocitymap.asp
Although not a licence (or certification) to practice in itself, it grants you the ability to obtain one via reciprocity. I have also seen federal employers on federal land accept it directly.
Click to expand...

The NREMT is akin to board certification for physicians or being a registered nurse. Both mean that a private group has assessed you as minimally competent to practice that skillset but neither is permission to actually practice it in a particular state, although most states won't bother to look at your application without that board certification.

Physicians don't necessary need to be board certified to practice in a state so this isn't a totally perfect example, but it still is accurate that it's a private certification and often necessary to getting a state's license/certification.
 
Yes but almost every (not all) state(s) will give you a state licence or certification directly if you have NREMT and an accredited paramedic program transcript. For example, I bought a state paramedic licence in Hawaii with nothing more than my NREMT and a paramedic program transcript, I did the same for California.
 
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