My instructor made a point of explaining on the first day of class that EMT-Bs are certified, and EMT-Is and EMT-Ps are licensed.
I once posted a comment here in which I referred to being a licensed EMT-B, in which I did not specifically mean to indicate being "licensed" as an EMT-B, but I just happened to use that word erroneously in the same manner that many people erroneously interchange "licensed" with "certified". And some people were quite happy to jump all over me about that mistake.
The NREMT's letter on this topic says that a certification is, "1. [A] voluntary process; 2. By a private organization; 3. For the purpose of providing the public information on those individuals who have successfully completed the certification process (usually entailing successful completion of educational and testing requirements) and demonstrated their ability to perform their profession competently."
The letter also goes on to say, "Licensure, on the other hand, is the state’s grant of legal authority, pursuant to the state’s police powers, to practice a profession within a designated scope of practice. Under the licensure system, states define, by statute, the tasks and function or scope of practice of a profession and provide that these tasks may be legally performed only by those who are licensed. As such, licensure prohibits anyone from practicing the profession who is not licensed, regardless of whether or not the individual has been certified by a private organization."
All persons who want to function in Maryland as an EMT-B must take and pass a test by MIEMSS, the Maryland Institute for EMS Systems. MIEMSS is an independent state
agency and is the state's regulatory agency for EMS. When one passes the test, one is issued a card with an identification number and a statement of level (EMT-B, for example), affiliation, expiration date, etc.
Given the NREMT's two statements defining certification and licensure, and the fact that MIEMSS is a state agency, not a private organization, does it not then appear that (at least in MD) all EMT-Bs are
licensed and not
certified?