FP-C Recertification

FP-C Recertification

Recertification options for the Certified Flight Paramedic (FP-C) credential include the following:

• Retake the written certification examination
• Complete the required continuing education (CE) credits

The purpose for these recertification options is to ensure the certificant maintains competency and compliance with the domains listed on the Detailed Content Outline for the certification. Retaking the exam and or providing approved continuing education hours ensures compliance and continued competency are met.

Eligibility Requirements for Recertification

Eligibility Requirements for Recertification

• Maintain current FP-C certification
• Maintain current, unrestricted paramedic license in the state or country of practice

• Any restriction(s) must be reported to the IBSC

• Complete and submit 100 approved continuing education (CE) credits
• Pay the required recertification fees

Continuing Education Definition

Different terminology is used for continuing education credit.

FP-C Recertification uses the measurement of contact hours in which one contact hour equals 50 minutes of actual educational materials. The following guidelines are useful in determining contact hours:

• 1 contact hour equals 1 CECH, 1 CERP, 1 CEARP, or 1 CME
• 1 CEU or continuing education unit equals 1 contact hour
• 1 academic semester credit equals 15 contact hours
• 1 academic quarter credit equals 10 contact hours
• 1 academic trimester credit equals 12 contact hours

General Guidelines

• Continuing Education (CE) must have a clear and direct application to the practice of flight and critical care medicine
• A minimum of 100 approved continuing education (CE) credits must be submitted
• 75 of these continuing education (CE) credits must be in the CLINICAL category – with at least 16 CLINICAL hours obtained by completing an approved FP-C review class (Approved Review Course List)

Clinical Category

• This category includes any educational offerings that primarily contain information applicable to direct practice in the clinical area of Critical Care medicine. The program content must be primarily focused on knowledge the paramedic can apply in providing direct care to an individual patient population. Examples include topics such as:
  • Flight Physiology
  • Management of the Trauma Patient
  • Toxicology
• Acceptable accredited college courses include educational offerings that have a clinical focus, such as:
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Pathophysiology
  • Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

• 25 of these continuing education (CE) credits may be in the OPERATIONAL category – though additional CLINICAL credits may be utilized
• No more than 25 OPERATIONAL continuing education (CE) credits will be accepted

Operational/Other Category

• This category includes any educational offerings related to the professional practice of paramedicine and the overall emergency medical system. Examples include topics such as:
  • Developing a Quality Improvement System
  • Legal Aspects of Flight Care
  • Public Relations in the Prehospital Environment
• Acceptable accredited college courses include educational offerings that have a non-clinical focus, such as:
  • Medical Ethics
  • Leadership and Management

• For continuing education (CE) credits to be applicable for renewal, they must have occurred during the four-year period of certification
• For example, if the certification expires March 31, 2020, the four-year period of certification is from April 1, 2016 until March 31, 2020
• Continuing education (CE) credits obtained outside of this timeframe will not be accepted
• It is the responsibility of the certificant to properly identify the number of CLINICAL and OPERATIONAL hours of CE activities using the following IBSC renewal guidelines

• The IBSC recognizes there are accredited CE programs, which consist of multiple lectures, such as national/regional symposiums, or IBSC approved review courses
• Although a CE provider or approver may categorize the CE courses, it is the certificant's responsibility to ensure the appropriate categorization of CE

• The IBSC will make the final determination as to category and acceptability of each submission
• Supporting documents can be uploaded in your IBSC account starting four months prior to certification expiration (processing fees will apply)
• All supporting documents submitted less than thirty (30) days prior to the certification expiration date will incur a $125 late processing fee. The late processing fee DOES NOT guarantee your credentials will be approved before the expiration date.
• Renewal requests submitted beyond the certification expiration date will not be accepted – there is no grace period
• Candidates who are wanting to renew their credentials after the expiration date will need to register for – and pass h examination – to test to maintain their credential
• Renewal requests will be processed according to when they are received by the IBSC and the certification expiration date
• Candidates who successfully meet all program requirements will have their credential renewed for an additional four-year period
• Candidates who do not meet the renewal program requirements must successfully pass the FP-C certification examination to have their credentials reissued
• The IBSC audits 100% of all continuing education (CE) activity
• All renewal fees are nonrefundable

Non-Acceptable Sources of Continuing Education

• Academic course work not clinically or professionally related (e.g. English literature)
• In-services less than 50 minutes in length
• New Employee Orientation
• BCLS Provider/Instructor (CPR) courses
• ACLS/ACLS-EP Provider/Instructor courses
• PEPP/PALS Provider/Instructor courses
• PHTLS/BTLS/ITLS/TNCC Provider/Instructor courses.
• AMLS Provider/Instructor courses

Acceptable Sources of Continuing Education

• It is recommended, but not required, that an accredited organizational body approve CE obtained through seminars and independent studies
• CE certificates received from an accredited organizational body have all the essential information needed to ensure content validity
• Examples of accrediting bodies are national associations such as:
• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
• Air Medical Physicians Association (AMPA)
• American College of Cardiology (ACC)
• Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
• Many state EMS boards
• Approvers are those groups that approve continuing education while Providers are those responsible for development and delivery of the program
• For example, a hospital may have a course and be the provider of the course. However, on the certificate, a statement would identify who approved their continuing education offering. Often the Approver and Provider are not the same entity
• Continuing education not approved by an accredited paramedic/physician organization is acceptable if the content is beneficial to paramedicine and is a minimum of 50 minutes in duration
• Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs specific to physician’s, dependent upon the content
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) is acceptable for FP-C recertification hours
• STABLE is acceptable for FP-C recertification hours

Accrediting Bodies

The IBSC is not a continuing education accrediting body. If you have questions related to the number of contact hours approved for a particular educational course or seminar or to have a course approved, contact an accrediting organization (i.e.: CECBEMS)

College Courses

• These courses can be used in both the CLINICAL and OPERATIONAL category, dependent upon their topic
• A grade of "C" or better must be obtained for renewal usage from an accredited institution
• The courses must be applicable to the practice of flight medicine

Delivering Presentations or Teaching an Accredited Paramedic Course

• Each lecture may be used only once during the renewal period
• Each lecture must be a minimum of 50 minutes in length
• The category of CLINICAL or OPERATIONAL will be determined by the content
• Submit course schedule outlining areas taught and how many hours – this must be on the organization’s letterhead

Publications – (Authoring the Chapter of a Book, Authoring a Book, Writing a Journal Article)

• The written piece must be of educational value and have acceptable references
• The category of CLINICAL or OTHER will be determined by the majority of the content (or main theme) of the publication
• Publications written by more than one author will have the allowable credit evenly distributed among all authors
• Contact hours will be awarded in the following amounts:
  • Chapter of a book equals 10 contact hours
  • Authoring of a book to a maximum of 150 pages equals 25 contact hours
  • Authoring of a book more than 150 pages equals 50 contact hours
  • Authoring a journal article equals 5 contact hours
  • Reviewing a journal article for a peer reviewed journal equals 1 contact hour

Item Writing

• Item writing for professional usage, such as a publication, is acceptable for FP-C Renewal
• Item writing for professional examinations such as the FP-C, CCP-C, CFRN, or CCEMTP is acceptable for FP-C recertification hours
• Each item will be considered 0.5 contact hours and will apply to either CLINICAL or OPERATIONAL, based upon content

Detailed Content Outline or Exam Blueprint

The Detailed Content Outline or exam blueprint is what the item writers follow when creating examination questions. This document can be found at:

http://www.ibscertifications.org/resource/pdf/FP-C%20EXAM%20OUTLINE.pdf

Review Material/Item Writing References

• Air and Surface Patient Transport: Principles and Practice Holleran,Renee Semonin. (2009) (4th ed.) St. Louis: Mosby
• CAMTS Accreditation Standards (10th ed.)
• Critical Care Transport Pollak, A.(Ed.). (2011). Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett
• CAAS Accreditation Standards v3.0
• Occupational Safety and Health in the Emergency Services by James S. Angle 2004, Delmar Cengage Learning, (2nd ed.)
• Emergency Responder Injuries and Fatalities: An Analysis of Surveillance Data by Ari N. Houser 2004, RAND Corporation (1st ed.)
• Manual of Emergency Airway Management (4th ed.) 2012 by Ron Walls and Michel Murphy

Application Procedure

To renew by CE, the following documentation must be submitted to your IBSC account 2-4 months prior to your expiration date:

• Copy of your current paramedic license/credential
• Continuing education certificates/documentation as outlined on this page
• All applicable recertification fees

• Note – a $125 late processing fee applies to all renewals received less than 30 days from certification expiration date. This late processing fee does not guarantee your credential will be approved before its expiration date

For additional information please review the Frequently Asked Questions or contact us at help@bcctpc.org