2026 EMS Skills Classic

About the Skills Classic

We invite all groups attending our Annual Conference to take part in this exciting NCEMSF tradition. 

Registration and Cost

Registration will open in early December at the same time as Conference registration. All Skills Classic Sign-Up fees must be paid online using each group's Institutional Website Account. This is the same account your group would use to purchase Tokens for registration. In order to complete the purchase, you will need to provide a Team Captain Name and contact information. This will allow our Skills Team to ensure that your group receives all the relevant information prior to the event.  

• Early Skills Classic Sign-Up is available through Friday January 30th and is $10 per team. Fees from Early Sign-Up are refundable through January 30th only. 
• Regular Skills Classic Sign-Up, if space remains, is from February 1st through February 13th, and is $15 per team. Regular Sign-Up fees are not refundable. 
• On-site sign-up will be offered only if space is still available and will cost $20 per team, payable via credit card only.

All fee deadlines are pay-by deadlines. In order to allow participation from as many schools as possible while still keeping the overall event manageable, we are limiting each school to one ALS and one BLS team. If additional space remains, on-site sign-up for additional teams from schools already registered may be permitted. 

Dress, Conduct, and Equipment

Team members should be dressed in squad uniforms while participating.

Team members may not consume alcohol and/or use drugs and/or illegal substances while participating.

All equipment will be supplied by NCEMSF and Skills Classic sponsors. Teams should not bring their own equipment with the exception of personal stethoscopes, trauma shears, pens, and penlights. 

The BLS track is geared towards providers trained to the EMR and EMT levels (or Canadian equivalent). The ALS track is geared to providers trained to the Advanced EMT and Paramedic levels (or Canadian equivalent) as defined in the National EMS Scope of Practice Model (https://www.ems.gov/education/EMSScope.pdf). Providers should refer to this document to determine whether to enter the BLS or ALS track.

We will also hold an informational webinar prior to the event via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be announced in early 2026, and a recording of the webinar will be made available for those who cannot attend live. 

On-Site Procedures

Upon arrival at the Conference, only the Team Captain (not the whole team) should proceed to the designated Skills Classic Check-In desk (separate from Conference check-in, but usually in the same general area). Times for check in will vary based on whether or not your team has pre-registered.

• Pre-registered teams can check in at any time starting at 4pm to receive their competition time slot. Time slots are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, so please check in as soon as is practical. 
• On-site registration for any schools who do not have another team already pre-registered begins at 4pm. This is for any school who was not able to pre-register and is only entering a single team. 
• Additional team on-site registration for schools who do already have one team pre-registered begins at 8pm. This is for schools who wish to enter multiple teams. 

All on-site registration will be space-permitting. 

Forms

pdf Skills Classic Rules 2026 (242 KB)

pdf Skills Liability Release (124 KB)

Questions

Questions about the Skills Classic: email skills@ncemsf.org.