SNELLVILLE, Ga. — The Certified Community Paramedic exam was announced by the Board for Critical Care Transport Paramedic Certification (BCCTPC). The exam creates a psychometrically valid and legally defensible measure of knowledge for all paramedics practicing in either a community paramedic or mobile integrated health model in the United States.

This exam process will validate the essential knowledge and judgment required for safe and competent practice and allows programs to establish a baseline for competency of providers. The CP-C exam is the fourth specialty certification exam developed by the BCCTPC since 2000.

"When this project was initially presented to the BCCTPC Board, we were excited about opportunity to develop such an important benchmark for community paramedics and at the same time embark on a project that was outside the critical care focus of our other exams," said BCCTPC Chair Graham Pierce.

The BCCTPC, developed in cooperation with the North Central EMS Institute and the Paramedic Foundation, executed a job analysis survey to guide the exam construction process. The CP-C exam was also developed with Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc., experts in psychometric consultation, testing and measurement. The exam is in accordance with the current professional and governmental standards for test development, as established by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the National Organization for Competency Assurance, and the National Council on Measurement in Education.

Completion of a specialized training program and work-experience in the community paramedic setting is necessary to be successful. The expectation for the CP-C exam candidate is competency in four areas:

Community based needs Interdisciplinary collaboration Patient centric care Preventive care and education

The CP-C exam is administered via web and computer-based formats at designated testing centers worldwide. Registration for the CP-C exam opens January 4, 2016, with additional information and registration online at www.bcctpc.org or by calling (978) 770-4400. Eligibility requirements dictate that exam candidates have a valid paramedic license and proof of completion of a recognized community paramedic program.

Community paramedicine is an emerging healthcare delivery model that increases access to basic services through the use of specially trained EMS providers in an expanded role. Community paramedics care for patients at home or in other non-urgent settings outside of a hospital under the supervision of a physician or advanced practice provider. Community Paramedics can expand the reach of primary care and public health services by using EMS personnel to perform patient assessments.