Felony Conviction Policy
The NREMT will deny registration or take other appropriate actions in regards to applicants for registration or re-registration when a felony conviction has occurred. Decisions effecting eligibility will be based upon the following categories. Applicants may appeal decisions made by the Registry as outlined in the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Registry Disciplinary Policy.
EMT Certification – Criminal Convictions
Preamble
EMS practitioners, by virtue of their state licensure, certification, or national registration, have unsupervised, intimate, physical and emotional contact with patients at a time of maximum physical and emotional vulnerability, as well as unsupervised access to personal property. In this capacity, they are placed in a position of the highest public trust, even above that granted to other public safety professionals and most other health care providers. While police officers require warrants to enter private property, and are subject to substantial oversight when engaging in “strip searches” or other intrusive practices, EMTs are afforded free access to the homes and intimate body parts of patients who are extremely vulnerable, and who may be unable to defend or protect themselves, voice objections to particular actions, or provide accurate accounts of events at a later time.
Citizens in need of out-of-hospital medical services rely on the EMS System and the existence of state licensure/certification or national registration to assure that those who respond to their calls for aid are worthy of this extraordinary trust. It is well accepted in the United States that persons who have been convicted of criminal conduct may not serve as police officers. In light of the high degree of trust conferred upon EMTs by virtue of licensure, certification, or registration, EMTs should be held to a similar, if not higher, standard. For these reasons, the EMS certifying/licensing/registration agency has a duty to exclude individuals who pose a risk to public health and safety by virtue of conviction of certain crimes.
General Denial
Registration of individuals convicted of certain crimes present an unreasonable risk to public health and safety. Thus, applications for certification by individuals convicted of the following crimes will be denied in all cases.
1. Felonies involving sexual misconduct where the victim’s failure to affirmatively consent is an element of the crime, such as forcible rape.
2. Felonies involving the sexual or physical abuse of children, the elderly or the infirm, such as sexual misconduct with a child, making or distributing child pornography or using a child in a sexual display, incest involving a child, assault on an elderly or infirm person.
3. Any crime in which the victim is an out-of-hospital patient or a patient or resident of a health care facility including abuse, neglect, theft from, or financial exploitation of a person entrusted to the care or protection of the applicant.
Presumptive Denial
Applications for registration by individuals in the following categories will be denied except in extraordinary circumstances, and then will be granted only if the applicant establishes by clear and convincing evidence that certification will not jeopardize public health and safety.
1. Applications for certification by individuals who have been convicted of any crime and who are currently incarcerated, on work release, on probation or on parole.
2. Application for certification by individuals convicted of crimes in the following categories unless at least five years have passed since the conviction OR five years have passed since release from custodial confinement whichever occurs later:
a. Serious crimes of violence against persons, such as assault or battery with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault and battery, murder or attempted murder, manslaughter except involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping, robbery of any degree; or arson.
b. Crimes involving controlled substances or synthetics, including unlawful possession or distribution, or intent to distribute unlawfully, Schedule I through V drugs as defined by the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act.
c. Serious crimes against property, such as grand larceny, burglary, embezzlement or insurance fraud.
d. Any other crime involving sexual misconduct.
Discretionary Denial
Applications for registration by individuals convicted of any crimes including DUI, but not including minor traffic violations may be denied after consideration of the following factors.
1. The seriousness of the crime.
2. Whether the crime relates directly to the skills of pre-hospital care service and the delivery of patient care.
3. How much time has elapsed since the crime was committed.
4. Whether the crime involved violence to, or abuse of, another person.
5. Whether the crime involved a minor or a person of diminished capacity.
Whether the applicant’s actions and conduct since the crime occurred are consistent with the holding of a position of public trust
