Education Information
To be licensed as an Oregon EMS provider, a person must take an initial EMS provider course and possess a current BLS Provider CPR certification from the American Heart Association or equivalent. Licensing for the EMT, AEMT, and Paramedic levels requires a certification from the National Registry of EMTs. Other licensing requirements are described on the
OHA-EMS Provider Licensure webpage.
Initial EMS provider courses conducted in Oregon must be approved by OHA-EMS and meet the requirements listed in
Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 333-264. Further information on each EMS provider course level is described in the drop-down menu below.
The EMR license is typically used in environments where emergency medical care is not the primary role of the employee or volunteer. The EMR is trained to provide immediate life-saving care to patients outside of a hospital environment with minimal equipment and resources until higher-level EMS providers arrive at the scene. An EMR may also assist higher-level EMS providers with patient care. The National EMS Scope of Practice Model describes the EMR level in more detail.
Education programs must be approved by OHA-EMS to teach EMR courses in Oregon. Refer to the table below for a list of organizations approved to conduct EMR courses.
The length of an initial EMR course is approximately 60 hours. OHA-EMS requirements for successful completion of an EMR course include:
- Meeting all requirements of the course syllabus;
- Demonstrating proficiency in all skills in the Oregon EMR Scope of Practice;
- Passing the final OHA-EMS student competency evaluations; and
- Passing the OHA-EMS written exam.
The EMT license is typically used in prehospital and hospital care settings where patient care is the primary role of the employee or volunteer. An EMT may be the first to respond to a medical scene or serve as a member of an ambulance crew or medical team. The EMT is trained to assess and determine the urgency of a patient's condition and provide basic treatments. The National EMS Scope of Practice Model describes the EMT level in more detail.
Education programs at Oregon colleges and universities must be approved by OHA-EMS to teach EMT courses in Oregon.
The length of an initial EMT course is approximately 160 hours. OHA-EMS requirements for successful completion of an EMT course include:
- Meeting all requirements of the course syllabus;
- Demonstrating proficiency in all skills in the National and Oregon EMT scopes of practice;
- Completing clinical and field experience requirements; and
- Meeting all EMT student performance outcomes as part of the OHA-EMS competency-based assessment program
The AEMT license is typically used in prehospital and hospital care settings where patient care is the primary role of the employee or volunteer. An AEMT may be the first to respond to a medical scene or serve as a member of an ambulance crew or medical team. The AEMT is trained to provide limited advanced-level assessments and treatments including electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis, starting intravenous (IV) lines and administering medications. The National EMS Scope of Practice Model describes the AEMT level in more detail.
Education programs at Oregon colleges and universities must be approved by OHA-EMS to teach AEMT courses in Oregon.
The length of an initial AEMT course is approximately 250 hours. An Oregon EMT license is a prerequisite of the course. OHA-EMS requirements for successful completion of an AEMT course include:
- Meeting all requirements of the course syllabus;
- Demonstrating proficiency in all skills in the National and Oregon AEMT scopes of practice;
- Completing clinical and field experience requirements; and
- Meeting all AEMT student performance outcomes as part of the OHA-EMS competency-based assessment program.
The EMT-I license is typically used in rural prehospital care settings where patient care is the primary role of the employee or volunteer. An EMT-I may be the first to respond to a medical scene or serve as the leader of an ambulance crew or medical team. The EMT-I is trained to conduct advanced-level assessments for common patient complaints, serve as a team leader and provide additional advanced-level treatments beyond the AEMT level.
Education programs must be approved by OHA-EMS to teach EMT-I courses in Oregon. Refer to the table below for a list of organizations approved to conduct EMT-I courses.
The length of an initial EMT-I course is approximately 100 hours. An AEMT certification or license is a prerequisite of the course. OHA-EMS requirements for successful completion of an EMT-I course include:
- Meeting all requirements of the course syllabus;
- Demonstrating proficiency in all skills in the Oregon EMT-I scope of practice; and
- Meeting all EMT-I student performance outcomes as part of the OHA-EMS competency-based assessment program.
The paramedic license is typically used in prehospital and hospital care settings where patient care is the primary role of the employee or volunteer. A paramedic serves as a team leader of an ambulance crew or prehospital emergency medical response team. The paramedic is trained to serve as a team leader and to provide advanced-level assessment and care of patients. The National EMS Scope of Practice Model describes the paramedic level in more detail.
Education programs must be approved by OHA-EMS to teach EMT courses in Oregon. Refer to the table below for a list of organizations approved to conduct Paramedic courses.
The length of an initial paramedic course is approximately one year. An Oregon EMT license is a prerequisite of the course. OHA-EMS requirements for successful completion of a paramedic course include:
- Meeting all requirements of the course syllabus;
- Demonstrating proficiency in all skills in the National paramedic scope of practice; and
- Completing clinical and field experience requirements.
In addition, paramedic students must complete student minimum competencies as prescribed by the Commission on Accreditation for Emergency Medical Services Professions. OHA-EMS requires an associate degree or higher for paramedic licensure.
Oregon Schools Providing Education