What Is a Certified Stretcher Operator (CSO)?

If your company transports stretcher passengers, or you are preparing to start offering the service, this is the credential your drivers need.

It is also the training for operators in a specific and common position: you see the demand, you are ready to add stretcher transport, and nobody on your team has ever operated a stretcher.

Certified Stretcher Operator, or CSO, is a nationally accredited credential issued by the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Accreditation Commission. NEMTAC built the program around a straightforward risk: handling and moving passengers on a stretcher exposes both the passenger and the provider to injury, whether from mechanical failure or from unsafe practices by the operator.

The certification confirms that your driver understands how to prevent both.

One program, two required parts

CSO is not a single class. It is delivered in an online segment and an in person segment, and both are required.

Part One is a one hour self paced online course. It provides an overview and awareness of stretcher operation for the NEMT professional, covering proper body mechanics, equipment overview, safe lifting and loading, general stretcher operations, and a hands on skills review.

Part One is purchased directly from NEMTAC. The course catalog is at education.nemtac.co/collections, and program details and prerequisite requirements are at nemtac.co/education.

Part Two is a three hour in person hands on didactic course. It reviews and reinforces the principles of the online course while students work with experienced instructors on stretcher operations and how to safely transfer passengers onto and from the stretcher.

Part Two is the portion NEMT Standard delivers.

What Part Two covers

The in person session is built around demonstration rather than discussion. Participants will:

• Understand proper body mechanics and how to apply them in daily work activities

• Evaluate and choose the correct equipment required for safe passenger transport

• Identify the necessary information required to safely transport passengers Discuss and demonstrate safety precautions when lifting, moving, and carrying passengers

• Demonstrate an understanding of safe lifting procedures for stretcher and gurney

The credential is valid for two years

On completion of both parts, participants are certified for two years in NEMT Stretcher Operations.

Record the expiration date in whatever system you use to track driver credentials. An expired certificate carries the same weight as no certificate during a broker audit.

No certificate is issued until both parts are complete

This is where most companies run into trouble.

Students receive the Certified Stretcher Operator certificate only after completing both the online and hands on sessions. Finishing the one hour online module does not certify a driver.

We regularly hear from operators who filed an online completion screen months earlier and assumed their drivers were credentialed. They were not, and it surfaced when a broker requested certificates.

Who needs it

Owners and drivers preparing to launch stretcher service with no prior stretcher experience Drivers and attendants assigned to stretcher or ambulette routes Companies adding stretcher service to an ambulatory or wheelchair operation Providers pursuing or maintaining NEMTAC accreditation Operators whose broker contract requires documented stretcher training Companies that need documented retraining following a stretcher related incident.

If your fleet runs ambulatory and wheelchair trips only, CSO does not apply. Wheelchair securement training is the relevant credential.

Completing Part Two with NEMT Standard

NEMT Standard is an authorized NEMTAC instructor delivering Part Two.

We hold scheduled in person classes in Brandon, Florida, and we provide travel training nationwide. For groups of six or more, we deliver the session at your facility on your own equipment, which means your drivers train on the stretcher they will actually operate.

Purchase Part One from NEMTAC, then join our notification list for Part Two dates.