EMS Education
The State of Louisiana requires that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel adhere to the strictest standards of quality as it relates to education, training, testing, and service. To insure these efforts, Louisiana requires certification by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) as a prerequisite for licensure at every license level, except for the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR).
Please direct EMS Education inquiries to EMS.Education@la.gov
National Registry
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) serves as the Nation’s Emergency Medical Services Certification organization. The mission of the NREMT has always been centered on protecting the public and advancing the EMS profession. The National Registry’s mission is to provide a valid, uniform process to assess the knowledge and skills required for competent practice by EMS professionals throughout their careers, and to maintain a registry of certification status.
Click here for LCCR content requirements
EMS Education Courses
Are you looking for an EMS Education course in Louisiana? Search the BEMS Information Management System (IMS) for a course near you.
EMS Training Programs
In Louisiana, individuals desiring to obtain an EMS License are required to complete an educational program approved by the Louisiana Bureau of EMS. The Bureau of EMS currently approves initial training programs at the following levels:
- Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Advanced EMT (A-EMT)
- Paramedic –
Training Institutions are required to design and implement a competency-based curriculum to ensure students are adequately prepared for the National Registry of EMTs cognitive and psychomotor certification examinations. The National EMS Education Standards define the minimal entry-level educational competencies for each level of EMS personnel.
Click here for in the National EMS Scope of Practice Model.
To apply to the Bureau of EMS for Educational Program approval, please complete an online application in the BEMS-IMS.
High School EMS JumpStart Pathway
The Louisiana Bureau of EMS is proud to collaborate with the Louisiana Department of Education in order to provide EMS career opportunities to aspiring high school students through the Louisiana Jump Start Pathways Initiative.
High School EMS Education Program Manual
The Emergency Medical Services Certification Commission adopted the High School EMS Education Program Manual in 2018. The guidance was revised in 2022.
Click here for the High School Program Manual.
EMT Portfolio
The Louisiana Bureau of EMS adapted the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician’s 2015 Paramedic Psychomotor Competency Portfolio (PPCP) to develop this best practice package with step-by-step instructions for implementation of the EMT Psychomotor Competency Portfolio component of EMT education. The Bureau of EMS developed this portfolio of vital skills in which each EMT student must demonstrate competency to qualify for the Bureau's EMT Certification examination. Each student’s portfolio is tracked by the program throughout the formative and summative phases of education in the laboratory and internship settings. The complete portfolio becomes a part of the student’s permanent education file and is a prerequisite to seeking NREMT EMT certification and a Louisiana license. The Bureau of EMS EMT Psychomotor Competency Portfolio Manual is designed to provide the reader with a description of what is needed to develop the competency portfolio and prepare EMT students for national EMS certification and state license.
The EMT Psychomotor Comptency Portfolio is a required component of initial EMT courses effective January 1, 2020.
Click here for the 2020 EMT Psychomotor Comptenecy Portfolio Manual.
Click here for an Appendicx C template (.xls).
Click here for an Appendix G template (.xls).
Click here for an Appendix I template (.xls).
Advanced EMT Student Minimum Competencies
The goal of this document is to describe minimum expectations for student formative experiences and minimum expectations by which the program ensures entry-level competency. Formative experience is defined as an activity in which the student’s performance is assessed to provide feedback during the educational experience and to expose the student to the variety of patients and conditions seen by a practicing AEMT. Reasonable evidence of competency is defined as the performance expectation by which the educational program can attest that the student has amassed a portfolio of demonstrated performance of skills and abilities necessary for safe and effective care. The standards for reasonable evidence of competency are built on the concept that competent performance must be demonstrated over time in a variety of conditions.
A single evaluation of skills performance by the educational institution cannot provide sufficient evidence of competency. The use of portfolios is an established tool that contributes to the valid and reliable evaluation of competency.
The tracking system (e.g. portfolio) for demonstration of skills and experiences during training should track each of the four (4) dimensions for the educational activity that assesses skills and abilities:
- Description of the assessed skill or ability
- Age or developmental category of the patient
- Pathophysiology or type of patient presentation
- The environment of the evaluation: laboratory setting, simulated patient encounter, or live patient encounter
Each experience can then be compared to the tables that follow later for expected minimums.
Portfolios are subject to the record retention policy in force by the Louisiana Bureau of EMS of a minimum of two consecutive license cycles. These portfolios may be subject to audit to ensure a minimum level of quality and competency is maintained.
The Bureau of EMS does allow agencies to decide the most appropriate format for the portfolio. Electronic and paper mediums are both acceptable.
Beginning July 1, 2024, the National Registry will require verification by the AEMT Program Director that student minimum competency has been verified in compliance with state EMS office requirements and in a manner consistent with this document. Any AEMT course finishing after June 30, 2024, must include the SMC.
Click here for the AEMT SMC document.