EMT & Paramedic Recertification in New York State
New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems (NYSDOH BEMS) recognizes two recertification routes. Which one applies to you depends on whether you're currently affiliated with a participating EMS agency — here's how each works, and what EMSACADEMI.COM offers for providers who aren't.
Quick answer: BEMS's Continuing Medical Education (CME) recertification program is built around agency membership — a provider must be an active member or employee of an EMS agency that is registered in the CME program to use it. If you aren't currently affiliated with such an agency — you left an agency, work per-diem without one steady employer, or your employer doesn't run a CME program — the path available to you is traditional refresher-course recertification through a BEMS-approved Course Sponsor.
EMSACADEMI.COM is built to support that second path directly, at every certification level from CFR through Paramedic.
CME-based vs. traditional refresher recertification
Both are valid, BEMS-recognized ways to renew a New York State EMS certification. They differ in who's eligible and how competency gets verified.
CME-Based Recertification
A statewide option that lets a currently certified CFR, EMT, AEMT, EMT-CC, or Paramedic renew without a separate cognitive or psychomotor exam — provided they meet the program's ongoing requirements.
- Only open to providers who are active members or employees of an EMS agency registered in the CME program
- Requires continuous practice throughout the certification period
- Overseen by the agency's designated CME Coordinator and Medical Director
- Requires a set number of Core and non-core CME hours plus documented skills competency, tracked by the agency
- Application must be filed 45 days to 9 months before certification expires
Traditional Refresher Recertification
The route available to providers who aren't enrolled in an agency's CME program. It runs through a NYSDOH-approved Course Sponsor rather than an employer, which is the path EMSACADEMI.COM supports directly.
- Open to any currently or previously NYS-certified provider, agency-affiliated or not
- Requires enrolling in an approved refresher course at your certification level
- Requires passing the NYS Practical Skills Examination (PSE)
- Requires passing the state's certifying written (cognitive) examination, taken only after the PSE is passed
- Available even if your certification has already lapsed — there's no enrollment deadline tied to an expiration date
How traditional refresher recertification works
Four steps, administered through EMSACADEMI.COM as your Course Sponsor.
Confirm your prior certification
You don't need an active certification to enroll — even a lapsed CFR, EMT, AEMT, EMT-CC, or Paramedic certification qualifies. You'll need proof that you were previously certified in New York State at or above the level of the refresher course you're entering.
Complete the approved refresher course
Enroll in a refresher course at your certification level. The course reviews the National EMS Education Standards content for that level and prepares you for the state exams that follow.
Pass the NYS Practical Skills Examination
The Practical Skills Examination (PSE) must be passed before you're admitted to the written exam. It's scenario-based and covers the core skills for your certification level — patient assessment, airway and ventilation, hemorrhage control, splinting, and cardiac arrest management with an AED, with IV/IO therapy and medication administration added at the AEMT level and above.
Pass the state certifying written exam
Once the PSE is complete, you sit for the state's certifying written examination. Passing both exams renews your New York State certification.
CME hour requirements, by certification level
These totals apply only to providers using the agency-based CME program — they don't apply to the traditional refresher pathway, which is assessed through the refresher course and the two state exams instead.
| Certification Level | Core Content Hours | Non-Core (Additional) Hours | Total CME Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFR | 15 | 10 | 25 |
| EMT | 20 | 25 | 45 |
| AEMT | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| EMT–Critical Care | 30 | 25 | 55 |
| Paramedic | 35 | 25 | 60 |
This page summarizes requirements from the NYSDOH Bureau of EMS and Trauma Systems' CME Recertification Program Administrative Manual and related BEMS guidance. Requirements can change — always confirm current rules at health.ny.gov/professionals/ems/certification or with the Bureau of EMS directly before relying on this page. This page is informational and isn't a substitute for BEMS's own guidance.
If any of this sounds like you, the traditional path is likely yours.
Between agencies
You've left an agency or are between EMS jobs and don't currently have one steady employer tracking your CME hours.
Per-diem or relief providers
You work per-diem across multiple services, so no single agency's CME program covers your recertification.
No agency CME program
Your employer is a certified EMS agency, but hasn't registered for the CME Recertification Program.
Lapsed certification
Your certification has already expired. The CME program won't accept an expired certification, but the refresher-course path remains open.
Ready to renew your certification?
EMSACADEMI.COM runs refresher courses at every level — CFR through Paramedic — with Practical Skills Examination administration built in, so non-agency-affiliated providers have a clear, structured path back to a current card.