b'COVID-19During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the National Registry madeIn addition to recertification activity, the Registry faced a wave some groundbreaking changes, and they had to do so quickly.of new professionals trying to enter the workforce. It was an organizational priority to assist these professionals and get them The global pandemic hit the U.S. at the beginning of 2020 andworking on the front lines where the nation needed them. Here became a threat as early as February. February is typically anare a few things the Registry did in response to community need:extraordinary month for the National Registry as it nears the end of its recertification season in March. 1.Provisional certifications were implemented and adopted as abasis for licensure in 30 states due to pandemic conditions.With over 200,000 providers due to recertify their National2.Extended course and examination eligibility deadlines by sixRegistry Certification, we realized how impactful this pandemicmonths for all candidates. would be to not only our organization our organization and3.Moved our examinations online by offering remote proctoredbut the EMS industry as a whole. Most of the providers dueexaminations. This allowed candidates to take theirto recertify would also be renewing their state EMS providerexaminations while testing centers were shut down duelicense, which often requires maintenance of Nationalto the pandemic. Certification.4.Coordinated with NHTSA EMS Office in adding healthcarecertification processes to the federal CISA criticalTo ensure the National Registry helped EMS in every way it wasinfrastructure identification. This allowed for continuitycapable, the following steps were taken to meet the needs of theof operations to continue operating, providing servicecommunity without compromise of the Registrys mission. and executing our MISSION. It also opened Pearson VUECenters, which assisted other healthcare organizations. 1.Extended the Recertification deadline from the originalMarch 31, 2020, date to June 30, 2020. All COVID-19 initiatives and activities required enormous 2.Waived limits on Distributive Education for 2020 and amounts of communication, coordination, and distribution, which 2021 recertification seasons. This required board action, significantly boosted relationships with State Officials and Partner reconfiguration of the recertification application software, and Organizations, establishing a positive step towards even stronger aggressive stakeholder outreach. partner engagement.a.The decision to waive DE limits for 2021 included theopportunity for stakeholders to provide direct input to the Board on the issue, including all licensing jurisdictionsand national EMS organizations.2The National Registry continues to be 3the trusted partner to the EMS community.'