In 2009 the National EMS Education Standards were released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Standards define the minimal entry-level educational competencies for each level of EMS personnel. Eventually, the Standards will replace the current Department of Transportation National Standard Curricula (NSC). The less rigid Standards format supports diverse implementation methods and more frequent content updates.

The new national standards can be found by clicking on the links below.  These documents are presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). A PDF reader is required for viewing. Download a PDF Reader or learn more about PDFs.

• National EMS Education Standards
• Emergency Medical Responder Instructional Guidelines
• Emergency Medical Technician Instructional Guidelines
• Advanced Emergency Medical Technician Instructional Guidelines
• Paramedic Instructional Guidelines

Implementing the Educational Guidelines

The National Association of State EMS Officers (NASEMSO) has developed some resources to assist educators. Some of the items in the toolkit include:

• 2009 National EMS Education Standards Gap Analysis Template [PDF] -- This Gap Analysis is intended for use by States, educators and others as they begin to define the specifics of what will be different at the state and local level between current EMS education delivery and future EMS education delivery. States will find this useful to consider “gaps” between an existing scope of practice compared to what may be implemented under the new SOP model and the Education Standards. Educators may similarly use this document to begin identifying educational content that will need to be accounted for in the transition of existing EMS personnel as well as the delivery of new programs in the future. Publishers may find it helpful in the development of adjunct material to support the implementation of the Education Agenda.
  • 2013 Pediatric Considerations for Implementing the National EMS Education Standards [PDF] -- This compendium is intended as a companion document to the 2009 Gap Analysis Template.
  • Appendix A to the Pediatric Gap Analysis: Writing Educational Goals and Objectives [PDF]

You can see the entire toolkit on the NASEMSO website.