re cert in MA help

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MiddletonMA

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I attained my emt license a couple of years ago in massachusetts intending to work on an ambulance. I got another job offer at the time that was too good to pass up. My certification is close to expiring and I have a few questions. I have searched around and found varying/ confusing answers. I was hoping i could get better info here. am I able to recertify while not working as an EMT? Secondly do I need to take a refresher couse as well as con ed credits or is just a refresher course good enough? any info would be appreciated. Thanks,
Jarod
 
MiddletonMA said:
I attained my emt license a couple of years ago in massachusetts intending to work on an ambulance. I got another job offer at the time that was too good to pass up. My certification is close to expiring and I have a few questions. I have searched around and found varying/ confusing answers. I was hoping i could get better info here. am I able to recertify while not working as an EMT? Secondly do I need to take a refresher couse as well as con ed credits or is just a refresher course good enough? any info would be appreciated. Thanks,
Jarod
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JArod--

You've come to the right place. I presume you hold an EMT-Basic certification? In that case, the card should show an expiration date of 4/1/2012 or 2013 or 2014. For now, I'll presume your's expires in 2013. In order to recertify, you need to submit to OEMS evidence of completion of 28 hours on continuing education classes,in any area, as long as approved by OEMS, and complete a 24 hour refresher, which can be done in several different ways.

You do NOT need to be working as an EMT actively in order to recert. MA works differently from nearly every state, and certainly the NREMT. For more information, head over to mass.gov/dph/OEMS

If you have any additional questions, including where to find classes, just ask!

Dan
 
Thanks Dan. I am an EMT-B and my card does expire in 4/13. i've already found a refresher course, but I'm having trouble finding con ed hours. What do you think the best bet for that would be?
 
You can do them online, but make sure whomever you go through sends the hours to OEMS. Or you could do what I do and send them in chunks. Keep track of everything though. I use CE Solutions
 
MiddletonMA said:
Thanks Dan. I am an EMT-B and my card does expire in 4/13. i've already found a refresher course, but I'm having trouble finding con ed hours. What do you think the best bet for that would be?
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MedicEd.com has a bunch of CE hours that you can do online that are OEMS pre-approved.

As an aside, three out of the 18 people in my refresher had never worked as an EMT, so you're not alone.
 
MedicEd.com is a great site. I've heard a lot of good things about them.
 
You can usually get con-ed credit for M&M rounds, too - check with the local hospitals (I believe Beverly hospital is closest to Middleton?) to see if they offer them and when. They're cool because a) you get to see some cool cases, b) you often get to hear first-hand from the folks who treated the patient (field and hospital) and c) some of the hospitals give you free food (either Morton or Sturdy have free pizza - can't remember which).

Some services also open their M&M rounds up to other folks (mine does, but we're all the way in SE Mass so it'd be a bit of a haul from where you are). Ask around. Just make sure they've gotten approval from the state for the hours (most do since it's an easy way to get con-ed hours for something that's often mandated by the service or medical director).
 
Anyone know of an AEMT course counts towards any MA coned? I mainly am up in Vermont but still want to hold on to my MA cert. it expires in April so there's not much time for this. In contemplating on just letting it lapse. Unless somehow I could do online coned, or Bachelors degree science courses + aemt class count for some.
 
rwik123 said:
Anyone know of an AEMT course counts towards any MA coned? I mainly am up in Vermont but still want to hold on to my MA cert. it expires in April so there's not much time for this. In contemplating on just letting it lapse. Unless somehow I could do online coned, or Bachelors degree science courses + aemt class count for some.
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I was able to use college chem and psych classes for some con-ed, however there is a cap to how much of it you can use. As for the AEMT class, I would not hold my breath since the state does not recognize it. I attempted to use my Colorado IV Therapy class as con-ed for Massachusetts and was flatly denied of all those hours.

You also need to do a Massachusetts specific refresher, which being in Vermont most of the year probably forces you to do what I did, take the MedicEd refresher while at school out of state and then come back and do the practical session right before the new year. Though your card expires in April, you need all the documentation in by January 1. If you want to keep it you can, I was able to do all the con-ed and refreshers needed starting right about now last year.
 
Tigger said:
I was able to use college chem and psych classes for some con-ed, however there is a cap to how much of it you can use. As for the AEMT class, I would not hold my breath since the state does not recognize it. I attempted to use my Colorado IV Therapy class as con-ed for Massachusetts and was flatly denied of all those hours.

You also need to do a Massachusetts specific refresher, which being in Vermont most of the year probably forces you to do what I did, take the MedicEd refresher while at school out of state and then come back and do the practical session right before the new year. Though your card expires in April, you need all the documentation in by January 1. If you want to keep it you can, I was able to do all the con-ed and refreshers needed starting right about now last year.
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Called MAOEMS and surprisingly the AEMT class upon competition of the course, will cover all hours of my containing education. All I'd have to do is complete the refresher course.
 
rwik123 said:
Called MAOEMS and surprisingly the AEMT class upon competition of the course, will cover all hours of my containing education. All I'd have to do is complete the refresher course.
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Well that's cool. I was told that since I don't have IVs in my scope in MA that taking a class regarding them couldn't count towards the hourly requirement. When I asked why paramedic school could be used as credit even if one had not completed paramedic school and was working as a basic, I got no response.
 
Contacting MAOEMS

rwik123 said:
Called MAOEMS and surprisingly the AEMT class upon competition of the course, will cover all hours of my containing education. All I'd have to do is complete the refresher course.
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Do you know MAOEMS phone number? Or where I can get it? I've looked all over the MA DOT OEMS website and can't get a number or an actual person to talk to about applying my school courses to credits.
 
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