Certifications › EMS registry and entry credentials
National registry · National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
NREMT Paramedic — National Registry Paramedic (NRP)
National Registry Paramedic certification is for EMTs (or higher) who finish a CAAHEP-accredited paramedic program and pass the NREMT paramedic exam; state-licensed paramedics whose program ended on or after January 1, 2013 can apply through the State Licensed pathway. It runs on a two-year cycle, renewed with 60 hours of continuing education or by exam.
Named in 136 of 29,080 postings on this site as of 11 Nov 2026, mostly Paramedic (136), EMT / AEMT (11) and Registered Nurse (4).
The facts, from the issuer
- What it is
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Paramedics are allied health professionals who give advanced emergency care to critical and emergent patients in the EMS system.
NREMT — Paramedic Certification · checked ·
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“The Paramedic is an allied health professional whose primary focus is to provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients”
- Eligibility
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You must hold current National Registry certification or a state license at the EMT level or higher.
NREMT — Paramedic Candidate Handbook Part 2: Candidate Responsibilities · checked ·
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“Hold a current National Registry certification or state license at the EMT level or higher”
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If you have just finished your education program: a CAAHEP-accredited paramedic program (or one with a CoAEMSP Letter of Review) completed within the past two years.
NREMT — Paramedic Candidate Handbook Part 2: Candidate Responsibilities · checked ·
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“Successfully complete a CAAHEP-accredited Paramedic program (or a program that has a CoAEMSP "Letter of Review") within the past two years.”
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Already hold a current state paramedic license? Use the State Licensed pathway: a state-approved paramedic refresher or 30 NCCP continuing-education credits from the past two years, the NREMT exam, plus a copy of your license.
NREMT — Paramedic State Licensed Pathway · checked ·
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“Successful completion of a state-approved Paramedic refresher course or 30 credits of continuing education”
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On the State Licensed pathway your paramedic program must be CAAHEP-accredited (or hold a CoAEMSP Letter of Review) and completed on or after January 1, 2013; it does not have to be within the past two years.
NREMT — Paramedic State Licensed Pathway · checked ·
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“meets or exceeds the National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards for Paramedic, January 1, 2013, and after.”
- Format
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The paramedic exam is taken on a computer at an authorized Pearson testing center.
NREMT — Paramedic Candidate Handbook: About the Examination · checked ·
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“You will take the examination on a computer at an authorized Professional Assessments (Pearson) testing center.”
- Length
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The paramedic exam has 110 to 150 questions, 20 of which are unscored.
NREMT — Paramedic Candidate Handbook Part 4: About the Examination · checked ·
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“Your examination will have between 110-150 questions; 20 of those questions do not affect your score.”
- How long it lasts
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NRP certification lasts two years; you renew with continuing education or by exam.
NREMT — Paramedic Candidate Handbook Part 3: Certification Process · checked ·
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“You need to recertify every two years. To recertify, you can submit continuing education credits or recertify by examination.”
- Renewal
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Renewal by continuing education under the NCCP model takes 60 credits split across national, local/state and individual components.
NREMT — Paramedic Recertification · checked ·
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“The Paramedic National Continued Competency Program (NCCP) requires a total of sixty (60) credits of continuing education to recertify.”
- Cost
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The paramedic application fee is $175, charged for each exam attempt.
NREMT — Paramedic Candidate Handbook Part 3: Certification Process · checked ·
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“The Paramedic application fee is $175. The fee is charged for each examination attempt”
Where to take it
Start with the issuer’s own test-site search:
- Book the exam at a test site: Pearson VUE — National Registry testing (pearsonvue.com)
State-approved paramedic programs and refreshers: 365 listed in 47 states. Pick a state, enter a ZIP, or use your location. Your ZIP and location are not sent anywhere: the page downloads, from this site, the ZIP-area file for the first two digits of your ZIP and the class lists for nearby states, and works out distances in your browser.
Distances are straight-line from the ZIP or city centre (U.S. Census 2024 gazetteer), not drive times. Listings come from state approved-program lists, issuer directories and providers' own pages. A listing is not a partnership; confirm dates, price and seats with the provider.
Related
- Career pathway: EMT to paramedic
- Career pathway: US offshore medic (Gulf of Mexico)
- Current Paramedic jobs
- Current EMT / AEMT jobs
- Current Registered Nurse jobs
- NREMT EMR — National Registry Emergency Medical Responder (NREMR)
- NREMT EMT — National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT)
- NREMT AEMT — National Registry Advanced EMT (NRAEMT)
- CP-C — Certified Community Paramedic (CP-C)
- CNA — Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Every fact above was read on the issuer’s own page on the date shown, with the exact words quoted. Anything the issuer does not publish is left out, so a missing fee means the issuer leaves pricing to the class provider or did not publish one. Employers decide which cards they accept; check the posting.