Our New Flex Options Gives You A New Way for Your Continued Education

Schedules in EMS rarely sit still. A shift swap, a late call, or a family obligation can knock a live class right off your calendar, and that used to mean scrambling to find another date. DistanceCME has introduced a new Flex Option that gives you a second path to the same finish line, so one missed class no longer has to derail your recertification plan.

What the Flex Option Means for Your Continuing Education

The Flex Option applies to the eligible courses inside the 30-hour National Component of the NCCP model. Instead of locking you into one format for the whole cycle, it lets you decide, course by course, how you want to complete each requirement. Think of it as having a backup plan built right into your education, not something you have to hunt for after the fact.

How the Flex Option Works

For each eligible course in the 30-hour National Component, you choose the format that works for you:

  • Live online: Attend a scheduled live class with an instructor.
  • Self-paced: Complete the eligible self-paced course when you cannot attend live.
  • A combination: Use live and self-paced formats across your eligible courses.
  • No duplicate credit: The live and self-paced options satisfy the same course requirement. Completing both formats does not provide duplicate credit.
  • NCCP Lesson 5: If you use the self-paced option, you must complete both required one-hour courses.

That last point is worth a second look. Lesson 5 is the one place where the self-paced path asks for a little more than a single course, so plan for two one-hour courses, not one.

Courses Available With the Flex Option

These refresher courses offer the Flex Option. Pick the one that matches your certification level:

Each course page shows the details for that certification level, so open the one that fits your needs and review it before you enroll.

Who Benefits Most From a Flexible CE Format

Providers Working Rotating or Overnight Shifts

If your schedule changes every few weeks, a class that fits this month may collide with next month. With the Flex Option, a conflict does not mean losing your progress. You can move that course to the self-paced version and keep the rest of your plan intact.

Providers Who Learn Best With Live Discussion

Plenty of EMS professionals prefer a live instructor for the topics that generate questions. The Flex Option lets you stay live where discussion matters most and save the self-paced format for the courses where your schedule is the bigger obstacle.

Anyone Trying to Finish Ahead of a Deadline

Deadlines create pressure, and pressure is exactly when a missed class hurts the most. Having two ways to complete the same requirement gives you room to adjust without starting over.

Mixing Formats Across Your Eligible Courses

Nothing forces you to pick a single lane. A provider might attend the first few eligible courses live, hit a week of heavy overtime, and complete the next one self-paced. The requirement is the same either way, and the credit counts once.

That is the part to keep straight. Because the live and self-paced options satisfy the same course requirement, finishing both formats of one course will not earn you extra hours. Choose one per course, finish it, and move on to the next.

A Simple Way to Plan Your Flex Strategy

  1. Confirm which certification level and cycle you are working on.
  2. Review the courses in your National Component and note which ones are eligible for Flex.
  3. Look at your upcoming schedule and pick the live sessions you can realistically attend.
  4. Mark the courses where a self-paced backup makes sense, and remember the two-course rule for NCCP Lesson 5.
  5. Verify your national, state, and agency requirements before you commit to a course plan.

Why the Format Choice Matters

DistanceCME offers CAPCE-accredited, 100% online EMS continuing education through live instructor-led F5 (VILT) classes and self-paced F3 (Distributive) courses. Because we run more live courses than any other provider, you have plenty of dates to choose from, and the self-paced version stands ready if life gets in the way. As America’s leading provider of Live NREMT Refreshers, Flight and Critical Care Review Courses, and EMS continuing education, we built the Flex Option around the way EMS professionals actually work.

Ready to Flex Your CE?

Whether you need an EMR, EMT, AEMT, or Paramedic refresher, use our search feature to find the right course, or reach out and we will help you book the one that fits your certification and your calendar. Contact Us today to get started.