National Registry Questions- help please!!!

[paramedichopeful]

Alright, I hate to sound panicky but I need to get some quick answers relating to the NREMT exam. My instructor and director recommend I get nationally certified and they both guaranteed they would spend more one-on-one time with me to study for it if I chose to go for it. But after talking with some of the guys in my class and a couple of the more experienced Medics, I'm feelin kinda nautious about it. From what I gather it is a waste of time because not all states accept NREMT certification, a pain in the butt because you have to recertify so often, and a waste of money because it costs so much to get registered and recertified. So after I first developed the hunch that it would be a mistake to take that path, I started looking around to find answers. I found nothing. I thought about going directly to the tree and calling NREMT, but I wasn't sure if that was a wise idea, so I didn't.

And now I'm left here to draw upon the years of experience and viewpoints of the individuals on this forum. I'm not really sure which path to take, and I need to decide soon. There are a few things I need to know:

-Money deal: Is it really expensive? Does it cost a lot to get recertified?
-Pain in the butt: How often do you have to recertify? Is it a complicated process? Where do you have to go to do that?
-Waste of time: Is it? How many states accept national registry?

I know this is asking a lot, and for that I apologize. I would greatly appreciate any advice/tips on tackling this roadblock that has me freaking out at the moment (and it takes ALOT to make me freak out- pressure doesn't bother me but for some reason this does).

Oh, and 1 more question- Health conditions: what's NREMT policy on them? I have mild asthma, hypoglycemia, and a screw and 2 pins in my left wrist. Would they make a big deal over something like that? I'm a simple EMT student so I don't know all this stuff. Thanks guys!!!

 

[Dominion]

Edit: Forgot I told myself I wasn't replying to your threads anymore. Admin/Mod feel free to delete this or keep it up, don't care.

 

[Shishkabob]

If you have an issue recerting every two years (which you HAVE to do regardless of going state or NREMT) then you need to be an accountant.

Correction-- He should look at his states licensure.

NREMT is every 2 years, but Texas is every 4 years, and less CEUs at that.




I say get the NREMT. No telling where you'll end up living in a few years, and it makes the move just that much easier.

 

[HotelCo]

Too answer the health question: The NREMT doesn't care. They don't (and have no business) ask(ing) about your health information. If your state wants to regulate who can have a license based on certain medical conditions, then that's their right. The NREMT is a private company that doesn't need that information.

 

[paramedichopeful]

Too answer the health question: The NREMT doesn't care. They don't (and have no business) ask(ing) about your health information. If your state wants to regulate who can have a license based on certain medical conditions, then that's their right. The NREMT is a private company that doesn't need that information.

well thats good. now I can stop flipping out over that. now i only ahve the other 5 million questions to stress about.

by the way nice avatar. that is definitely 1 of my favorite movies. i had it figured out halfway through, though. but still a stunning performance by Eastwood.

 

[Sasha]

You only recertify every two years, the same with (my) state's certification. It's not as big of a deal as some make it out to be.

It's not a waste of time, in the states that don't accept it, it shows that you went above and beyond however many states do accept NREMT. Florida accepts it for basic, although not for medic.)

And as previously stated, they don't inquire nor can they regulate certification based on the applicant's health. Also, many employers don't dwell too much on medical conditions as long as it's managed.

NREMT-B was only $75 intially, I think. Don't know how much to renew.

Also, here's a link to the NREMT website http://nremt.org/Content/NREMT_Home.nremt .

 

[johnrsemt]

Even if you never move; It does look good on a resume.

You can recertify by taking a refresher course; or just by CE hours; I think that they require 64 hours every two years, ACLS does count for 8-16 of it, along with AHA Health Care Provider CPR; they do require both of these certs (but like I said they hours for them count towards your CE hours to recert.

 

[paramedichopeful]

i think i'm gonna go ahead and go for it. if anything else it will show that i'm more responsible about the situation than the rest of the department. nothing cynical meant; just starting to get irritated by those with the "Paragod/i walk on water/i am holier than the holy bible/this place couldn't run without me" attitude