FP-C

The Flight Paramedic Certification (FP-C) is an advanced certification that indicates an individual has attained the designation of Certified Flight Paramedic. The FP-C certification exam is administered by the International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC), a not-for-profit organization responsible for the administration and development of specialty certification exams for critical care professionals. The FP-C exam was the first specialty paramedic certification offered by the BCCTPC in 2000. This certification is designed for experienced paramedics who have demonstrated advanced knowledge of critical care medicine. The Flight Paramedic Certification (FP-C) is an advanced certification that indicates an individual has attained the designation of Certified Flight Paramedic. The FP-C certification exam is administered by the International Board of Specialty Certification (IBSC), a not-for-profit organization responsible for the administration and development of specialty certification exams for critical care professionals. The FP-C exam was the first specialty paramedic certification offered by the BCCTPC in 2000. This certification is designed for experienced paramedics who have demonstrated advanced knowledge of critical care medicine. The FP-C, CCP-C, and/or Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program (CCEMTP) certifications are often a requirement to work as a flight paramedic in the United States. The FP-C does not have an associated course and does not endorse any specific course in order to remain impartial and maintain neutrality. The FP-C is considered comparable in difficulty to the Critical Care Paramedic Certification (CCP-C). Experience in the air medical and/or critical care transport fields are recommended before attempting to take the exam. There is no minimum education component required and the examination does not require any field experience. In addition, there is no practical skills test associated with the examination, unlike the NREMT Paramedic exam. A candidate must hold a unrestricted paramedic license in the state or country of practice, and have a significant knowledge of ACLS, PALS, NRP and BTLS/ITLS and current CAMTS standards. Similarly to specialty board certification in other health professionals such as ER Nurses and Emergency Medicine Physicians, the FP-C specialty certification is a voluntary credentialing process designed to validate essential knowledge and judgment required for safe and competent practice. Such certifications provide designations to paramedic professionals who demonstrate the knowledge and skills essential to critical care paramedics. Unlike theNREMT, which has been adopted by 46 states since its inception, the IBSC is officially recognized in 15 states but remains recognized in every flight paramedic agency as a pre-requisite or requisite requirement to be hired. Unlike the NREMT examination, which is required in most states for entry-level paramedic licensure and reciprocity, the FP-C is a professional board certification that evaluates knowledge well above and beyond the basic scope of practice of most licensed paramedics. The exam is developed by the Board for Critical Care Transport Paramedic Certification (BCCTPC), a subsidiary of IBSC and administered by Prometric. Oversight for the exam process is provided by Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP), a statistical body that ensures the certification process is in compliance. The methods used by AMP are consistent with professional and technical guidelines detailed in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (1999) by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education. These standards provide the research framework that is used as a basis for validity of certification. The methodology used meets or exceeds the current professional and governmental standards to assure the legal defensibility of the exam, as well as the standards of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).The FP-C has become the standard for critical care paramedic certification and is the highest level of specialty paramedic certification in the USA. When an individual obtains a FP-C Certification, the general public, employers, and state licensing authorities know that the individual has demonstrated competency and that 'paramedics holding this specialty certification qualify to work in the domain of paramedicine beyond that of an entry-level paramedic.'