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November 2023
Renewal Requirement
An Iowa EMS certification must be renewed prior to the certification’s expiration date to
maintain an active status. Failure to complete the renewal process prior to the expiration date
will result in the Iowa EMS certification’s status to change from active to inactive. An Iowa
emergency medical care provider may only provide emergency medical care with an active Iowa
EMS certification.
Renewal of an Iowa EMS Certification with Continuing Education
To be eligible to renew an Iowa EMS certification with continuing education, a minimum
number of core topic continuing education hours (CEHs), based on the level of certification,
must be completed prior to the certification’s expiration date. The table below identifies the
minimum number of CEHs, by core topic, and Iowa EMS certification level, that must be
obtained prior to the certification expiration date.
All core continuing education hours used to renew an Iowa EMS certification must have a
sponsor number by an authorized Iowa EMS Training Program, the Iowa Department of Health
and Human Services, the Iowa Board of Nursing, the Iowa Board of Medicine, or the
Commission on Accreditation for Prehospital Continuing Education (CAPCE) before the
emergency medical care provider attends the offering.
Along with obtaining the minimum number of core continuing education hours the provider must
also complete the online renewal process and pay any applicable renewal fees prior to the
certification expiration date.
Core Topics
EMR/FR
EMT/EMT-D
AEMT
Paramedic
Airway, Respirations, Ventilations
1
1
2
3
Cardiology
2
6
7
9
Trauma
1
2
3
3
Medical
3
6
8
9
Operations
1
5
5
6
Totals
8
20
25
30
Iowa EMS Certification Renewal Guidance
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November 2023
Nationally Recognized and Sponsored Education Programs
An Iowa EMS provider who has completed one or more of the following nationally recognized
and approved educational programs during their certification period may apply the awarded
continuing education hours (CEH) when renewing their Iowa EMS certification without
obtaining a sponsoring number utilizing the following guidelines:
● The program must be completed in its entirety during the certification period
being renewed
● The completed program must be recognized by the national sponsoring agency
● A certificate/card of program completion must be provided identifying the total
number of CEHs awarded
Single Core Topic Area
The Iowa EMS Provider may choose to apply all of the awarded CEHs from the nationally
recognized program to a single identified core topic area identified by an “X” in the following
chart. As an example: An Iowa EMS Provider completes a nationally recognized CPR program
and receives a certificate of completion for 3 CEHs. The provider applies all 3 CEHs to the
Medical core topic area. Looking down the left hand column, locate the CPR program, moving
from left to right the core topic areas of AVR, Cardiology, Medical, and Operations are marked
with an “X” indicating the completed program CEHs can be applied to these topic areas, Trauma
is marked with “N/A” indicating the CPR program CEHs could not be applied to this core topic
area.
Multiple Core Topic Areas
The Iowa EMS Provider may choose to “split” the awarded CEHs between two or more of the
identified core topic areas by program. As an example: An Iowa EMS Provider completes a
nationally recognized CPR program and receives a certificate of completion for 3 CEHs.
Looking down the left hand column, locate the CPR program, moving from left to right the core
topic areas of AVR, Cardiology, Medical, and Operations are marked with an “X” indicating the
completed program CEHs can be applied to these topic areas, Trauma is marked with “N/A”
indicating the CPR program CEHs could not be applied to this core topic area. The provider can
apply 1 of the 3 CEHs to the Medical core topic area, another CEH to the Cardiology core topic
area, and the final CEH to the Operations core topic area (total of 3 CEHs applied). When
applying CEHs from a single program to two or more core topic areas the total number of CEHs
applied may not exceed the total number of CEHs awarded.
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November 2023
Nationally recognized/sponsored programs approved for Iowa EMS continuing education
Program
AVR
Cardiology
Trauma
Medical
Operations
ABLS
X
N/A
X
X
X
ACLS
X
X
X
X
X
ADLS
N/A
N/A
X
X
X
ALS X X X X X
AMLS X X X X X
APLS X X X X X
ASLS X X X X X
ATLS X X X X X
BDLS N/A N/A X X X
CEVO
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
X
CPR/BLS
X
X
N/A
X
X
EMPACT
X
X
X
X
X
EMS Safety
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
X
ENLS
X
X
X
X
X
EPC X X X X X
EVOC N/A N/A N/A N/A X
GEMS X X X X X
HazMat N/A N/A X X X
IS 100 N/A N/A X X X
IS 200 N/A N/A X X X
IS 300
N/A
N/A
X
X
X
IS 400
N/A
N/A
X
X
X
IS 700
N/A
N/A
X
X
X
IS 800
N/A
N/A
X
X
X
ITLS
X
X
X
X
X
NRP X X X X X
PALS X X X X X
PEARS X X X X X
PEPP X X X X X
PHTLS X X X X X
TCCC
X
X
X
X
X
TECC
X
X
X
X
X
TIMS
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
X
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November 2023
Nationally recognized/sponsored continuing education programs
ABLS – Advanced Burn Life Support
ACLS – Advanced Cardiac Life Support
ADLS – Advanced Disaster Life Support
ALS – Advanced Life Support
AMLS – Advanced Medical Life Support
APLS – Advanced Pediatric Life Support
ASLS – Advanced Stroke Life Support
ATLS – Advance Trauma Life Support
BDLS – Basic Disaster Life Support
CEVO – Coaching the Emergency Vehicle Operator
CPR/BLS – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
EMPACT – Emergency Medical Patients: Assessment, Care and Transport
ENLS – Emergency Neurological Life Support
EPC – Emergency Pediatric Care
EVOC – Emergency Vehicle Operator Course
GEMS – Geriatric Education for EMS
HazMat – Hazardous Materials
IS 100 – Introduction to Incident Command System
IS 200 – Basic Incident Command System
IS 300 – Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents
IS 400 – Advanced ICS Command
IS 700 – Introduction to the National Incident Management System
IS 800 – National Response Framework, An Introduction
ITLS – International Trauma Life Support
NRP – Neonatal Resuscitation Program
PALS – Pediatric Advanced Life Support
PEARS – Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization
PEPP – Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals
PHTLS – Prehospital Trauma Life Support
TCCC – Tactical Combat Casualty Care
TECC – Tactical Emergency Casualty Care
TIMS – Traffic Incident Management System
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November 2023
Renewal of an Iowa EMS Certification with NREMT Certification
An Iowa emergency medical care provider may renew their Iowa EMS certification with a
current and valid NREMT certification that exceeds their Iowa EMS certification expiration
date instead of renewing with CEHs. The provider must complete the online renewal
process, pay any applicable renewal fees, and provide the Bureau with verification of a
current, valid NREMT certification prior to their Iowa EMS certification expiration date.
The renewed Iowa EMS
certification’s expiration date will not exceed the expiration date of the NREMT
certification utilized for renewal.
Extension of an Iowa EMS Certification
An Iowa emergency medical care provider who is unable to attain all continuing education
requirements within the certification period may request a one-time 45-day extension to
complete the continuing education requirements and renewal process. Iowa emergency
medical care providers who wish to apply for an extension must submit a completed
application for extension and application fee to the Bureau at least 7-days prior to their
certification’s expiration date, but no more than 90-days prior to their certification’s
expiration date. An application for extension and instructions can be downloaded from
the Bureau’s website.
Late Renewal of an Iowa EMS Certification
An Iowa emergency medical care provider who completed all of the required continuing
education during their certification period but failed to either submit the EMS renewal of
certification or pay applicable fees prior to their certification’s expiration date may be
eligible for a late renewal of their Iowa EMS certification only if the late renewal process is
completed within the month following the certification’s expiration date. Iowa EMS
providers who did not complete the required continuing education during their
certification period are not eligible for late renewal but may be eligible for reactivation of
an inactive certification.
Late Renewal Process
Iowa EMS providers who meet the eligibility for late renewal of their Iowa EMS
certification must complete the following steps before the last day of the month following
their certification’s expiration date:
• Completed the online EMS renewal process in AMANDA
• Pay a $30 late fee plus any applicable certification renewal fee
• Submit a completed EMS Provider Continuing Education Audit Report to the Bureau
documenting the completion of all required continuing education prior to their
certification’s expiration date
Failure to complete all components of the late renewal process by the last day of the
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November 2023
month following the certification’s expiration date will result in the certification status
remaining inactive.
Inactive Iowa EMS Certification Status
Iowa emergency medical care providers whose Iowa EMS certification status is inactive
may not provide emergency medical care until their certification status is active. Providers
with an inactive Iowa EMS certification may be eligible to reactivate their certification
based on the amount of time since the certification became inactive. Reactivation of an
inactive certification information and application can be downloaded from the Bureau’s
website.
Additional questions can be addressed to:
Iowa Health and Human Services
Bureau of Emergency Medical and Trauma Services
321 East 12
th
Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
515-281-0620
