All paramedics in Ontario must complete CME annually in order to maintain certification, per the Emergency Health Regulatory and Accountability Branch (EHRAB) of the Ministry of Health (MOH): 

• PCP scope requires 8 hours of CME/year 

• ACP scope requires 24 hours of CME/year 

• SWORBHP provides 8 hours of CME to PCPs via MCME and 12 hours to ACPs via MCME + ACP Hands-on day 

• The additional 12 hours of CME required by ACPs can be obtained through various educational opportunities, awarded via CME Points 

• In addition to being required to complete CME, paramedics must have 10 patient contacts per year to maintain certification, per the EHRAB of the MOH 

• A patient contact is defined as the presence of the paramedic’s name on an ACR where patient care is documented 

• If a paramedic does not have 10 patient contacts, they may submit CME credits for alternative patient experiences. Alternative experiences are approved by SWORBHP by way of MOC CME points 

• One credit or point awarded for MOC is equivalent to one patient contact 

The certification year runs from February 1st to January 31st, of the following calendar year. A paramedic must meet all requirements for certification within a single certification year 

• Paramedics can obtain CME points through a variety of education offerings  

• The learning activity must be relevant to the paramedic’s scope of practice  

• All CME submissions are reviewed and require approval by SWORBHP’s Medical Director of Education or designate 

• A list of pre-approved CME activities for the current certification year can be found on the Paramedic Portal of Ontario (PPO) in the ‘Certification’ tab under ‘Submit CME Request’. 

• Paramedics may also reference the SWORBHP Maintenance of Certification Policy for additional information on how educational activities are awarded CME points and alternative patient contacts. 

• Paramedics can submit for CME points through the PPO. You can find a resource guide on the PPO under the ‘Resource’ tab, under ‘My Learning’ with specific instructions on how to submit for CME points or alternative patient contacts. 

• CME information to provide includes: 
  • Course name, date, and length of time 
  • Link to resource, if applicable 
  • Outline of goals and learning objectives  
  • Explanation on how the CME enhances the clinical practice of paramedicine at your certification level  
  • Supporting documents (course syllabus, brochure, agenda, etc.) 

• No, ACP CME cannot be double counted for alternative patient contacts.  

• For example: If you are an ACP who requires 10 alternative patient contacts you would be required to submit for your 12 CME points AND 10 alternative patient contacts.  

• Absolutely! We highly recommend that paramedics do this so there are no surprises or disappointments when CME points are awarded. Please submit any queries for CME points prior to completing the learning activity or course. We want to ensure that you are not wasting your time and resources in completing a course or learning activity that has not been pre-approved for CME points.  

• CME events that are undertaken without preapproval may not be awarded points if it is deemed not to meet the objective of enhancing the clinical practice of the paramedic at the certification level of the paramedic. 

• To submit for preapproval for CME points, please follow the same procedure as if you were submitting for CME points on the PPO. Please ensure to document that you are submitting for preapproval. Please feel free to email [email protected] if a prompt response for pre-approved CME points is required.  

• Paramedics can submit for preapproval of CME points through the PPO. On the PPO you can find a resource guide on the ‘Resource’ tab under ‘My Learning’ with specific instructions on how to submit for CME points or alternative patient contacts. 

• For pre-approval of CME points, please include the below information:  
  • Course name, date, and length of time 
  • Link to resource, if applicable 
  • Outline of goals and learning objectives  
  • Explanation on how the CME enhances the clinical practice of paramedicine at your certification level  
  • Supporting documents (course syllabus, brochure, agenda, etc.) 

• If you receive an email it means that we need more information about your submission and how it specifically relates to your paramedic practice 

• Please provide as much detail as possible in your response so we can fairly award CME points 

• To avoid any confusion or disappointment with CME allotment, please contact us for preapproval for your educational offering (See Q7 above) 

Example: 12 hours of CME awarded for nursing 

• No, SWORBHP CME points follow a different process and set of requirements than those for other healthcare providers. Therefore, points awarded for other providers may not be equivalent to those for paramedic practice.  

• We sure do! The education team at SWORBHP works hard each year to provide paramedics in our region with additional educational resources. Please check our website and the PPO to find webinars and podcasts that have been preapproved for CME points and alternative patient contacts. Check out our social media accounts where we post about new and exciting content being released! 

• The deadline for submission for the 2024 certification year is January 23, 2025 

• Five (5) business days are required for approval and the certification year runs from February 1st to January 31st 

• Paramedics who do not submit their required alternative experiences by five (5) business days before January 31st each year will be deactivated as they have not met the requirements for certification, as per section 0.Reg.256/00.S.8(1-3) of the Ambulance Act 

• In an effort to proactively ensure that all paramedics meet the requirements for certification, SWORBHP sent out an email this summer updating paramedics on the status of their ACP CME requirements and patient contacts 

• ACPs who have less than the required 24 CME points and/or paramedics who have less than 10 patient contacts documented by SWORBHP will be contacted via email to inform them of the remaining requirements by January  

• If a paramedic has been deactivated for not meeting the CME or MOC requirements they will need to complete the outstanding requirements prior to being reactivated.  

• If paramedics are deactivated, SWORBHP will honor their submitted learning experiences and will retroactively apply CME or MOC points to the previous certification year to meet the outstanding maintenance of certification requirements. Any additional learning experiences beyond the reactivation requirements will not be counted toward the current certification year. 

Please email [email protected] for any questions on the status of your certification requirements.  

No. CME credits obtained in one CME cycle or certification year cannot be carried over to another cycle. 

• Paramedics who are newly hired will complete the annual MCME as part of their new hire training with SWORBHP 

• The requirements for ACP CME points are pro-rated based on 2 CME points per month that a paramedic is certified and clinically active as an ACP during the certification year. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have questions about your maintenance of certification requirements.  

• Paramedics who are returning after clinical inactivity and have missed their annual MCME, will complete the annual MCME as part of their return to practice training, in addition to any other educational activities determined to be necessary. 

Paramedics may reference the SWORBHP Maintenance of Certification Policy for additional information on how educational activities are awarded CME points and alternative patient contacts.

Our policies can be found on our website under the ‘Policy and Procedure’ banner heading, additional information can be found under the ‘Maintenance of Certification’ page as well.