Training, testing, certification, and licensure standards for emergency medical

services personnel. The department shall authorize all courses leading to approval, certification, or licensure by the department prior to the course being conducted in North Dakota contingent upon the course being offered by a licensed emergency medical services training institute and on the following requirements: 1. Emergency medical responder: a. Course. A course conducted in North Dakota must adhere to the national emergency medical services education standards for emergency medical responders as published by the United States department of transportation, national highway traffic safety administration. Prior to student eligibility for certification by the national registry, competency in the required knowledge and skills must be verified by a North Dakota emergency medical services instructor or North Dakota licensed emergency medical services training institute. b. Course instructors. Course instructors must be approved by the licensed emergency medical services training institute and be knowledgeable in course content, effective in teaching their assigned subjects, and capable through academic preparation, training, and experience to teach courses or topics to which they are assigned. c. An emergency medical responder student may practice all the skills defined in the scope of practice for emergency medical responder while in the classroom and during a clinical or field internship while under direct supervision of an instructor or clinical and field internship preceptor and if registered with the department as an emergency medical responder student. d. Initial certification. Individuals sixteen years of age and older who are certified as an emergency medical responder by the national registry are eligible for certification by the department. Upon completion and department approval of an application, eligible applicants may be certified by the department for a two-year period until June thirtieth of the second year. e. Recertification. An individual that maintains certification from the national registry is eligible for recertification. Upon completion and approval of an application, eligible applicants may be recertified by the department for a two-year period until June thirtieth of the second year. f. Individuals certified as emergency medical responders as of January 1, 2024, and those attending emergency medical responder courses approved before January 1, 2024, and certified by June 30, 2024, will not be required to obtain national registry certification. (1) Prior to student eligibility for initial certification by the department under the conditions identified in this subdivision, competency in the required knowledge and skills must be verified by a North Dakota emergency medical services instructor or North Dakota licensed emergency medical services training institute. (2) Prior to eligibility for recertification by the department under the conditions identified in this subdivision, individuals must complete recertification requirements equivalent to those required by the national registry. 2. Emergency medical technician: a. Course. A course conducted in North Dakota must adhere to the national emergency medical services education standards for emergency medical technicians as published by the United States department of transportation, national highway traffic safety administration. Prior to student eligibility for certification by the national registry, competency in the required knowledge and skills must be verified by a North Dakota emergency medical services instructor or North Dakota licensed emergency medical services training institute. b. Course instructors. Course instructors must be approved by the licensed emergency medical services training institute and be knowledgeable in course content, effective in teaching their assigned subjects, and capable through academic preparation, training, and experience to teach courses or topics to which they are assigned. c. An emergency medical technician student may practice all the skills defined in the scope of practice for emergency medical technician while in the classroom and during a clinical or field internship while under direct supervision of an instructor or the clinical and field internship preceptor and if registered with the department as an emergency medical technician student. d. Emergency medical technician initial licensure. Individuals sixteen years of age and older who are certified as emergency medical technicians by the national registry are eligible for licensure. Upon completion and department approval of a license application, eligible applicants may be licensed by the department. The applicant must be affiliated with a North Dakota licensed emergency medical services operation or obtain medical direction from a North Dakota licensed physician. Licensure will expire ninety days after the national registry emergency medical technician expiration date. e. Relicensure of emergency medical technicians. An individual that maintains certification from the national registry as an emergency medical technician is eligible for relicensure. Upon completion and approval of a license application, eligible applicants may be relicensed by the department. The applicant must be affiliated with a North Dakota licensed emergency medical services operation or obtain medical direction from a North Dakota licensed physician. Licensure will expire ninety days after the national registry expiration date. 3. Advanced emergency medical technician: a. Student prerequisite. Students must be certified as an emergency medical technician by the national registry or licensed as an emergency medical technician or its equivalent. b. Course. The course must adhere to the national emergency medical services education standards for advanced emergency medical technicians as published by the United States department of transportation, national highway traffic safety administration. Prior to student eligibility for certification by the national registry, competency in the required knowledge and skills must be verified by a North Dakota emergency medical services instructor or North Dakota licensed emergency medical services training institute. c. An advanced emergency medical technician student may practice all the skills defined in the scope of practice for advanced emergency medical technician while in the classroom and during a clinical or field internship while under direct supervision of an instructor or clinical and field internship preceptor and if registered with the department as an advanced emergency medical technician student. d. Advanced emergency medical technician initial licensure. An individual eighteen years of age or older who is certified as an advanced emergency medical technician by the national registry is eligible for licensure. Upon completion and department approval of a license application, eligible applicants may be licensed by the department. The applicant must be affiliated with a North Dakota licensed emergency medical services operation or obtain medical direction from a North Dakota licensed physician. Licensure will expire ninety days after the national registry advanced emergency medical technician expiration date. e. Relicensure of advanced emergency medical technician. An individual that maintains certification from the national registry as an advanced emergency medical technician is eligible for relicensure. Upon completion and approval of a license application, eligible applicants may be relicensed by the department. The applicant must be affiliated with a North Dakota licensed emergency medical services operation or obtain medical direction from a North Dakota licensed physician. Licensure will expire ninety days after the national registry advanced emergency medical technician expiration date. 4. Paramedic: a. Student prerequisite. Students must be certified at minimum as an emergency medical technician or licensed at minimum as an emergency medical technician or its equivalent. b. Course. The course must adhere to the national emergency medical services education standards for paramedics as published by the United States department of transportation, national highway traffic safety administration and be conducted by a commission on accreditation of allied education programs accredited paramedic education program. c. A paramedic student may practice all the skills defined in the scope of practice for paramedic while in the classroom and during a clinical or field internship while under direct supervision of an instructor or clinical and field internship preceptor and if registered with the department as a paramedic student. d. Paramedic initial licensure. An individual eighteen years of age or older who is certified as a paramedic by the national registry is eligible for licensure. Upon completion and department approval of a licensed application, eligible applicants may be licensed by the department. The applicant must be affiliated with a North Dakota licensed emergency medical services operation or obtain medical direction from a North Dakota licensed physician. Licensure will expire ninety days after the national registry paramedic expiration date. e. Relicensure of paramedic. An individual that maintains certification from the national registry as a paramedic is eligible for relicensure. Upon completion and approval of a license application, eligible applicants may be relicensed by the department. The applicant must be affiliated with a North Dakota licensed emergency medical services operation or obtain medical direction from a North Dakota licensed physician. Licensure will expire ninety days after the national registry paramedic expiration date. 5. Emergency medical services instructor: a. Student prerequisite. A candidate for certification as an emergency medical services instructor must be at least eighteen years of age and licensed for at least two years as an emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician, or paramedic. b. Course. The course must be approved by the department. c. Initial certification. The department shall issue initial certification to individuals who have successfully completed an approved course and meet the prerequisites. Individuals possessing a bachelor's degree in education, a teacher's certification in education, a master's degree or doctorate and meeting the student prerequisites are eligible for initial certification upon application to the department. Emergency medical services instructor certification is concurrent with emergency medical services licensure. d. Recertification. The department may recertify as emergency medical services instructors those individuals who maintain emergency medical services licensure and: (1) Are employed or affiliated with a licensed emergency medical services training institution and submit documentation of eight hours of adult instructional education approved by the licensed emergency medical services training institute; and (2) Instruct or coordinate a minimum of one authorized emergency medical responder, emergency medical technician, advanced emergency medical technician, or paramedic education program every two years. 6. Community emergency medical technician: a. The department shall certify as a community emergency medical technician an individual who meets the following qualifications: (1) Has a current license as an emergency medical technician issued by the department. (2) Has two years of service as an emergency medical technician. (3) Has successfully completed a community emergency medical technician education program from a college or university that has been approved by the department or accredited by a department approved accreditation organization. The education program must include clinical experience that is provided under the supervision of a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, or public health nurse operating under the direct authority of a local unit of government. b. A community emergency medical technician shall practice in accordance with protocols and standards established by a medical director and provide services as directed by a patient care plan developed by a patient's primary or specialty care physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant. In the absence of a primary or specialty care provider, the patient care plan may be directed by the medical director. c. A community emergency medical technician must be employed by a licensed ground ambulance or licensed hospital. d. In addition to the relicensure requirements in subdivision e of subsection 2, a community emergency medical technician shall complete an additional twelve hours of continuing education in clinical topics approved by the medical director. e. No individual shall hold themself out as a community emergency medical technician or provide the services of a community emergency medical technician unless such individual is certified by the department. 7. Community advanced emergency medical technician: a. The department shall certify as a community advanced emergency medical technician an individual who meets the following qualifications: (1) Has a current license as an advanced emergency medical technician issued by the department. (2) Has two years of service as an advanced emergency medical technician. (3) Has successfully completed a community advanced emergency medical technician education program from a college or university that has been approved by the department or accredited by a department approved accreditation organization. The education program must include clinical experience that is provided under the supervision of a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, or public health nurse operating under the direct authority of a local unit of government. b. A community advanced emergency medical technician shall practice in accordance with protocols and standards established by a medical director and provide services as directed by a patient care plan developed by a patient's primary or specialty care physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant. In the absence of a primary or specialty care provider, the patient care plan may be directed by the medical director. c. A community advanced emergency medical technician must be employed by a licensed ground ambulance or licensed hospital. d. In addition to the relicensure requirements in subdivision e of subsection 3, a community advanced emergency medical technician shall complete an additional twelve hours of continuing education in clinical topics approved by the medical director. e. No individual shall hold themself out as an community advanced emergency medical technician or provide the services of an community advanced emergency medical technician unless such individual is certified by the department. 8. Community paramedic: a. The department shall certify as a community paramedic an individual who meets the following qualifications: (1) Has a current license as a paramedic issued by the department. (2) Has two years of service as a paramedic. (3) Has successfully completed a community paramedic education program from a college or university that has been approved by the department or accredited by a department approved accreditation organization. The education program must include clinical experience that is provided under the supervision of a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, or public health nurse operating under the direct authority of a local unit of government. b. A community paramedic shall practice in accordance with protocols and standards established by a medical director and provide services as directed by a patient care plan developed by a patient's primary or specialty care physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant. In the absence of a primary or specialty care provider, the patient care plan may be directed by the medical director. c. A community paramedic must be employed by a licensed ground ambulance or licensed hospital. d. In addition to the relicensure requirements in subdivision e of subsection 4, a community paramedic shall complete an additional eighteen hours of continuing education in clinical topics approved by the medical director. e. No individual shall hold themself out as a community paramedic or provide the services of a community paramedic unless such individual is certified by the department. 9. Emergency medical dispatch. An individual authorized to provide prearrival emergency medical instructions for a public safety answering point shall satisfactorily complete an emergency medical dispatch course of instruction approved by the department. A certificate indicating satisfactory completion of the emergency medical dispatch course of instruction must be submitted to the department by the public safety answering point prior to the individual providing prearrival emergency medical instructions for a public safety answering point.