Obtaing EMT cert in NJ

[umdnjdoc]

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I recently moved to NJ and still a valid EMT cert in NY. Does anyone knw what the rules are down here to obtain a cert or allowing my NY cert to be valid here?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[1-16-17-32]

I dont know the rules, but I know people who have gotten reciprocity in NJ who were certified in NY - so it can be done.

 

[freethinker]

You CAN do it, but they'll give you problems. They say you have to take a 24 hour refresher course, which includes an individual practical skills exam on everything NY does and more. For some of the things that are the same, NJ wants done slightly differently. There's also a 150 question multiple choice test, compared to NY's 110 with 10 experimentals. By contrast, I heard that NJ to NY is easy, they just give it to you. Sounds like NY wants EMTs more badly than NJ.

 

[captaindargo]

What about GA to NJ? I am an EMT-I in GA moving to the NY/NJ area.

 

[WestcoastMedicine]

What about GA to NJ? I am an EMT-I in GA moving to the NY/NJ area.

To my knowledge, NJ does not license EMT-I. Unfortunately when I volunteered back in the day we had an EMT-I trained in the Army who was only able to get a Basic NJ state cert. That was 6 years ago so may have changed.

 

[kylek044]

To my knowledge, NJ does not license EMT-I. Unfortunately when I volunteered back in the day we had an EMT-I trained in the Army who was only able to get a Basic NJ state cert. That was 6 years ago so may have changed.

Nope. Still no EMT-I's. In NJ, medical care is so accessable that there is no reason for EMT-I's.


The reason that it is difficult to go from another state to NJ-EMT is NJ uses standing orders. Other states require medical direction, so the out-of-stater must become familiar with NJ protocol and standing orders before they can ride an ambulance.

 

[MedicFL]

Many states use standing orders. in FL orders vary county to county, coming from another state is no big thing just need to learn a new system is all.

 

[kylek044]

Does FL use any on-line medical direction? I'm really not sure how common it is, but NJ runs only on standing orders. I can't find any information online about other states who do this.

 

[MedicFL]

We have tons of standing order but if we want to do something above and beyond we can just call for it, in NJ their are no ALS units correct just BLS with medics in fly cars? My partner at work used to work in NJ..

 

[kylek044]

Yup - in NJ Paramedics drive their chase truck and either meet BLS at the scene or en route and then they hop on the BLS rig for transport. ALS doesn't transport. It seems to work well.

 

[KD1655]

umdnjdoc, you may want to check on this, but I do believe that NYS is part of the Atlantic council and if so, your NY card is good in Jersey. I believe that you still need to apply for reciprocity but they give you like six months or so to do it.

 

[pmdc222]

We have tons of standing order but if we want to do something above and beyond we can just call for it, in NJ their are no ALS units correct just BLS with medics in fly cars? My partner at work used to work in NJ..

I'm not sure this is totally correct. I don't work there, but I did my ride-time for paramedic school at University Hospital EMS in Newark NJ. They are all transporting vehicles (BLS and ALS) and I believe Jersey City is the same way. Perhaps these are the only services like that though.

 

[kylek044]

I'm not sure this is totally correct. I don't work there, but I did my ride-time for paramedic school at University Hospital EMS in Newark NJ. They are all transporting vehicles (BLS and ALS) and I believe Jersey City is the same way. Perhaps these are the only services like that though.

When was this? In NJ, ALS are chase trucks. Some rigs (maybe from hospitals) might have their Medics run on the BLS ambulance though. The scope of the Paramedic is advanced life support, not really transportation. All ambulances in NJ are BLS-equipped.

 

[pmdc222]

This was a few years ago but I know that its still the case in Newark because people at my company have gone recently. They are hospital based, so maybe that is the difference. They had both transporting BLS and ALS trucks. The ALS were staffed by 2 paramedics on trucks that said "advanced life support" on the side.

 

[pmdc222]

When was this? In NJ, ALS are chase trucks. Some rigs (maybe from hospitals) might have their Medics run on the BLS ambulance though. The scope of the Paramedic is advanced life support, not really transportation. All ambulances in NJ are BLS-equipped.

So I looked it up: http://www.uh-ems.org/als.html

Maybe because they call them "mobile MICU," they get away with it? They really didn't do anything different than medics anywhere else so I'm not sure why they are called MICU. Maybe its just to get around whatever rules NJ might have.

 

[kylek044]

ALS units do not transport. MICUs work in conjunction with BLS units. The big MICU tucks are not for transporting patients, but just to store ALS equipment in an area away from the hospital.

This is from the NJ law:
"New Jersey operates under a unique two-tier emergency
medical services (EMS) system, with basic life support (BLS)
services provided by volunteer first aid squads at no charge
complemented by a non-transport hospital-based advanced life
support (ALS) system which "brings the hospital emergency room
to the patient" but does not transport patients
This system provides higher quality patient care than other
systems and is more cost effective because the paramedics who
provide ALS services cover a larger geographic area and are
summoned and dispatched only when needed for more serious
cases, which reduces the number of patients treated and billed for
ALS services"

And a NJ EMT-B describes it on his website this way
"EMS (Emergency Medical Services) is divided into two categories -- BLS (Basic Life Support) and ALS (Advanced Life Support). The Minute Men (and most other towns' ambulance squads) provide BLS. If there is a life-threatening situation, then ALS will be dispatched additionally. In my area ALS is provided by paid paramedics (EMT-P) that are based at local hospitals. They drive an SUV called an MICU (Mobile Intensive Care Unit) and do not transport patients. They bill the patient (or their insurance company) for their services. And those services aren't cheap. They will typically treat a patient in their home or the back of our ambulance by setting up an IV, taking blood samples for the hospital, administering drugs, etc, all with the guidance of a doctor over the phone. The concept is that they bring the Intensive Care Unit to the patient. Once they've stabilized the person, then we will transport them, often one paramedic rides with us, while the other one drives their MICU back."
(http://www.wintle.com/ems/index.htm)

 

[pmdc222]

Interesting - I can say that when I did my time in that city, there were definitely a lot of times when we got in the BLS truck. There were also a lot of times when we transported the patient in the MICU. I didn't realize that was NJ state law at the time, so I guess I never thought about it until now. My memory isn't serving me very well about it right now though.

I do remember that the units were not SUVs (I know because I sat in the back staring at the stretcher etc for 2 straight weeks) and that we transported patients in them sometimes. Perhaps it is different because the hospital based service works the whole city of Newark. The law that you cited says BLS are volunteer, but in Newark they were paid EMTs on UMDNJ EMS. Perhaps they have a waivor for that law or something.

 

[xavier2000]

Jersey medics can operate in any vehicle as long as it meets the standards as enforced by OEMS. Many operate full buses while the others operate fly cars. Being hospital-based has no meaning on having a full rig or not. "Mobile MICU" labeling does nothing. Medics in NJ are not in business to transport. Protocols must be followed before ALS rigs can transport which boil down to availability of a BLS truck. All MICU projects in NJ are hospital-based by law. There is one quasi-hospital service out of Monmouth County called MONOC - I think they operate much like a for profit company and are a big cause for debate in the state on the EMS front. Those that are anti-MONOC sometimes refer to them as MONCOCK. There are + and - to the system, but when necessary, there are two medics able to tend to patient(s) without one of them worrying about driving.