NREMT Psychomotor Skills: The Complete Checklist

State-level psychomotor exams still follow the NREMT skill sheets in most systems. Miss a critical criterion and you fail the station, no matter how well you performed the rest. Here is what evaluators are actually looking for.

Patient Assessment — Trauma

The most-failed station in the country. The critical fail almost every candidate hits: forgetting to verbalize scene safety and BSI before touching the patient.

• State BSI and scene safety out loud — always.
• Determine MOI, number of patients, request additional resources.
• General impression, LOC, chief complaint, then ABCs with bleeding control.
• Rapid trauma assessment head-to-toe — don't skip the posterior.
• Baseline vitals and SAMPLE before you leave the station.

Patient Assessment — Medical

Same rhythm as trauma, but OPQRST replaces the rapid trauma survey and you focus the physical exam on the chief complaint system.

BVM Ventilation of an Apneic Patient

Rate 10–12/min for an adult. Verbalize "I would attach supplemental oxygen at 15 LPM and continue ventilations." Failing to check for a pulse or ventilating at an incorrect rate is an automatic fail.

Spinal Motion Restriction (Seated / Supine)

Manual stabilization first, and never let go until the patient is fully secured. Assess motor, sensory, and circulation before and after immobilization — both times, every time.

Bleeding Control and Shock Management

Direct pressure → additional dressings → tourniquet. Then treat for shock: high-flow O₂, position, blanket, transport decision. Skipping the shock treatment after the bleed is controlled is the classic missed step.

Print the current NREMT skill sheets and practice with a partner using them as a rubric. If you can hit every criterion out loud without prompting, you'll pass.