Asynchronous Online Continuing Education
The Virginia Office of EMS has been accepting continuing education (CE) programs completed online through approved third party vendors since 2006. Online CE is only accepted from the following CE vendors as they have applied for and met stringent reporting and course content requirements as set forth by OEMS. Courses completed by providers on non-approved websites will not receive credit towards their certification.
Based upon an agreement between the National Registry and the Virginia Office of EMS, the number of CE credits that can be earned online and counted toward recertification is unlimited.
For more information, please click on an approved vendor link below. Most online CE vendors charge a fee for their services. Please refer to the individual vendor site for pricing information.
Synchronous Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT)
Recent improvements in internet bandwidth technology have made VILT an increasingly attractive option for Emergency Medical Services training allowing the Office of EMS and certified Education Coordinators to be able to offer complex, specific job training in near-real time. A perfect example of the need for near-real time training would be the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
The Office of EMS is pleased to announce that through an agreement with the National Registry, we are now offering this new training modality where the educational content you are seeking can reach you in the comfort of your home, your office or while you are on vacation in Vanuatu.
As with everything in life, there are some rules that must be followed in order for you to be issued CAT 1 CE for programs offered as VILT. We’ll get to those rules when you register for classes. In the meantime, some helpful information is listed below regarding what computer equipment and internet connection is necessary to participate in VILT Training. Click here for more information.
More about Online Continuing Education Services
In order to receive credit towards recertification, each provider must utilize the website links above and complete the vendor’s registration form paying special attention to any links that are specific to Virginia’s EMS Providers. Virginia providers must utilize their Virginia EMS certification number and provider level as printed on their certification card when completing vendor registration. Failure to utilize the proper certification number and/or level will result in credit not being awarded.
Approved CE vendors report student completions, daily, to the Office. These credits are automatically applied to the provider’s OEMS CE Report within 24 hours of completion of the course. Course completion certificates issued by the online CE vendor are for your personal use only and cannot be used by the Virginia Office of EMS to verify CE taken. You may print a certificate for future reference – they are not to be sent to OEMS.
Only courses completed through the vendors listed above may be utilized for CE credit in Virginia. Courses that are completed on websites that are not listed on this page will not be counted toward recertification.