What Distance CME does

Distance CME is a CAPCE-accredited online continuing education provider specializing in NREMT recertification and state EMS license renewal for prehospital providers in the United States. The company delivers two course formats through its learning management system: F5 Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) live classes scheduled across all time zones with chat and polling, and F3 self-paced distributive recorded courses. The product portfolio centers on NCCP-compliant refresher courses for all four certification levels — Paramedic (60-hour), AEMT (50-hour), EMT (40-hour), and EMR (16-hour) — supplemented by specialty offerings (ECG interpretation, ACLS, CPR, firefighter CEUs) and a higher-acuity vertical in flight and critical care transport review approved by the International Board of Specialty Certifications (IBSC). The platform hosts 300+ self-paced programs and 400+ live classes per month, with 2,000,000+ CE hours awarded cumulatively and 25,000+ providers served since founding.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce through distancecme.com for individual EMTs, AEMTs, paramedics, and critical care providers (with course prices ranging from $5 for single modules to $922.95 for complete recertification packages), supplemented by B2B agency sales to fire departments and EMS services, and government-channel distribution through approved vendor status with Army COOL, Air Force COOL, and the MyCAA military spouse scholarship program. Founded in 2010 by a Nurse/Paramedic, a Physician, and a Paramedic deployed with the US Army in Iraq, the company merged with Relias Learning in 2018 before transitioning back to original ownership under founder and CEO Scott McConnell. Revenue mechanics are predominantly one-time course purchases driven by the mandatory biennial NREMT recertification cycle, with enrollment validity of 12-24 months and direct CAPCE-to-NREMT reporting reducing administrative friction.

Name

Distance CME

Legal name

DistanceCME

Website

https://distancecme.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Distance CME provides CAPCE-accredited online EMS continuing education and NREMT recertification courses for EMTs, AEMTs, paramedics, and critical care providers across all 50 US states, via live virtual classes and self-paced modules.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online EMS Continuing Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Medical Services (EMT/Paramedic) Training (EDAOAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vertical/Industry-Specific LMS (e.g., Healthcare, Safety, Aviation, Government) (EDAFAAAM), Safety, Security & Emergency Services (OSHA, Fire, EMS, Security CE) (EDAAALAK), EMS Education, Training & Simulation Centers (HLAFANAL), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)

Keywords

• EMS continuing education
• NREMT recertification courses
• Online paramedic refresher
• Live virtual instructor-led training
• CAPCE accredited courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Jenkintown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Course Sales: Individual EMS professionals purchase individual courses or bundled refresher packages. Enrollment periods typically last 1 year or until course completion. Prices range from $5 for individual modules to $922.95 for complete recertification packages.
2. Agency/Enterprise Training Contracts: B2B sales to EMS agencies for group training, with inquiry forms for agency sales and custom pricing for organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Distance CME provides online continuing education and recertification courses for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals, including EMRs, EMTs, AEMTs, Paramedics, Critical Care Paramedics, and Flight Paramedics. Courses are delivered via two formats: Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT/F5) live classes and self-paced Distributive Learning (F3) recorded modules. All courses are CAPCE-accredited and accepted by the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) and all 50 U.S. states.

Product overview

Distance CME is an online EMS (Emergency Medical Services) continuing education platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of CAPCE-accredited courses through two delivery formats: F5 Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) live classes and F3 Distributive self-paced recorded courses. The core product lineup consists of NREMT Refresher Courses organized by certification level (Paramedic 60-hour, AEMT 50-hour, EMT 40-hour, EMR 16-hour), supplemented by specialty courses (ECG interpretation, firefighter CEUs, ACLS, CPR), critical care and flight medic programs (Hybrid 60 Hour Critical Care Review), and an extensive self-paced library of 30+ individual modules. The platform operates on a modular architecture where courses are offered in 2-hour blocks, scheduled days/nights/weekends, with enrollment valid for 12-24 months. The platform also serves EMS agencies with enterprise training solutions and supports military COOL programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 60 Hour NREMT Paramedic Refresher Course Comprehensive 60-hour refresher combining 15 live instructor-led VILT classes (30 hours) with 14 self-paced recorded courses (30 hours), meeting the 2025 NCCP Model requirements for NREMT Paramedic recertification.
• 50 Hour NREMT AEMT Refresher Course 50-hour refresher course meeting the 2025 NCCP Model requirements for NREMT Advanced EMT (AEMT) recertification, available in combined VILT and self-paced formats.
• 40 Hour NREMT EMT Refresher Course Comprehensive 40-hour refresher combining 10 live 2-hour VILT classes (20 hours) with 13 recorded self-paced courses (20 hours), meeting the 2025 NCCP Model for NREMT EMT recertification, priced at $278.25.
• 16 Hour NREMT EMR Refresher Course 16-hour refresher course comprising 8 live instructor-led 2-hour classes meeting the 2025 NCCP Model for NREMT Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) recertification, priced at $189.
• Live BLS 20 Hour NCCP Live 20-hour BLS NCCP program for EMT NREMT recertification, scheduled around the clock to accommodate various schedules, priced at $210.
• Live ALS 30 Hour NCCP Live 30-hour NCCP program meeting AEMT and Paramedic NREMT recertification requirements under the National Continued Competency Program 2025 Model, priced at $273.
• Hybrid 60 Hour Critical Care Review 60-hour critical care review combining 30 hours VILT with 30 hours self-paced content for flight and critical care transport providers; IBSC approved.
• Flight and Critical Care Transport Review (Self-Paced) Self-paced $325 course covering fundamentals for flight and critical care providers, including airway management, burns, cardiac emergencies, flight physiology, trauma, and ventilator management; IBSC approved.
• Basic ECG Course (Self-Paced) Self-paced course covering ECG monitoring basics, wave interpretation, rhythm identification, pacemakers, and heart blocks, priced at $99.
• 12 Lead ECG Course (Self-Paced) 9-hour comprehensive self-paced program for obtaining and interpreting 12-lead ECGs.
• eACLS (Online ACLS) Online American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) course priced at $409, includes a live skills check component.
• eCPR for Healthcare Providers Online BLS course through American Safety & Health Institute (ASHI) priced at $199, includes a live skills check.
• Texas EMS Jurisprudence Course and Exam State-specific 3 CEU course meeting mandatory Texas Department of State Health Services requirements for EMS providers, priced at $7.50.
• Preceptor Course (Self-Paced) Self-paced $75 course providing educational methodology, generational learning styles, documentation, and preceptor roles and responsibilities.
• 70 Hours of Firefighter CEUs Package Self-directed package providing 70 hours of fire service continuing education distributed across three categories.
• Self-Paced Course Library Library of over 300 individual self-paced continuing education modules covering topics including resuscitation, cardiology, respiratory emergencies, trauma, pediatrics, pharmacology, and medical emergencies.
• NCCP L1-L15 Live Course Series Series of 15 live 2-hour instructor-led courses covering NCCP topics including airway management, cardiac emergencies, trauma, medical emergencies, and operations, scheduled multiple times daily.
• EMS Agency Training Solutions Training solutions for EMS agencies, fire departments, and ambulance services including group pricing, virtual classroom, agency-specific training packages, unlimited participant capacity, and 24/7 access.
• Military COOL Program Support Approved vendor services for Air Force and Army COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line) programs, supporting military members in maintaining NREMT certifications, plus MyCAA scholarship participation for military spouses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000,000+ CE hours awarded to providers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Relias LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018DistanceCME merged with Relias Learning in 2018. This relationship enabled the company to provide education to an ever-growing audience that sees live online education as the easiest, simplest way to get top quality education while working. Relias serves as the parent company providing operational infrastructure and scale.
• Army COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDistanceCME is an approved vendor for the Army COOL program, providing comprehensive EMS continuing education for Army service members to maintain NREMT certifications and facilitate civilian career transitions.
• Air Force COOL (Credentialing Opportunities On-Line)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDistanceCME is an approved vendor for the Air Force COOL program, offering opportunities for enlisted Air Force and Space Force members to earn industry recognized professional credentials and licenses in EMS.
• MyCAA (Military Spouse Career Advancement Account)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistanceCME participates in the MyCAA scholarship program providing up to $4,000 in financial assistance to eligible military spouses for pursuit of EMS licenses, certifications, or associate degrees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• NAEMT (National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians): National EMS professional association that offers continuing education and certification programs (PHTLS, AMLS, etc.) and is a content partner of Distance CME. Relevant as an ecosystem participant rather than a direct product competitor.

Direct peers

• Medic-CE: CAPCE-accredited online EMS continuing education platform offering self-paced and live courses for EMT, AEMT, and paramedic recertification. Closest direct competitor in the VILT/distributive EMS CE category.
• Vector Solutions (TargetSolutions): Provides online training, credentialing, and compliance tracking for EMS, fire, and healthcare agencies. Directly competes with Distance CME's agency channel and offers bundled workforce LMS solutions to fire/EMS departments.
• EMT National Training: Online NREMT refresher and continuing education provider for EMTs and paramedics. Directly comparable to Distance CME on NREMT recertification curriculum, CAPCE-accredited online delivery, and individual learner pricing.
• Code 3 CME: Online EMS continuing education provider offering CAPCE-accredited self-paced and live courses for NREMT recertification. Comparable on content, accreditation, and direct-to-consumer EMS learner base.
• EMS1 Academy (Lexipol): Online EMS training and CE catalog from Lexipol/PoliceOne family, providing accredited video-based courses and refreshers to individual EMS professionals and agencies — comparable in audience and delivery model.

Emerging players

• EMS World: EMS industry media and education brand that offers online CE articles, webinars, and training content for EMS professionals, overlapping with Distance CME's content and certification audiences.
• Limmer Creative: EMS/Fire educator and publisher of apps, study guides, and review tools, partnered with Distance CME for AHLS content. Competes in the same EMS learner audience with study/review products and CE-adjacent content.

Broad incumbents

• Jones & Bartlett Learning: Major publisher of EMS textbooks, EMT/paramedic curriculum, and continuing education content. Overlaps with Distance CME on course content, refreshers, and instructor resources for the same EMS professional audience.
• Relias Learning: Healthcare and human services workforce training platform that was the parent company of Distance CME following the 2018 merger. Competes broadly in EMS, hospital, and home health CE with bundled enterprise offerings and deeper agency relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/distancecme
• Facebookfacebook.com/distancecme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2178192

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Distance CME