17 GRADUATE FROM BLINN’S PARAMEDIC PROGRAM
Seventeen Blinn College Paramedic Program graduates were welcomed to the profession in a pinning ceremony held Saturday, Aug. 6, on the Blinn-Bryan campus.
Each graduate completed 45 credit hours to earn their paramedic technology certificate or Emergency Medical Services Associate in Applied Science degree, which qualify them for entry-level paramedic positions and can be applied toward obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
Courses include basic and clinical emergency medical technician, clinical emergency medical services, trauma management, cardiology, medical emergencies and EMS operations. Students must also complete the Paramedic Academy, a three-semester program that prepares students for certification or licensure by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians and the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“In addition to the hands-on training students receive in our high-fidelity simulation lab, they get to train alongside a team of highly experienced professionals,” said Zack Varner, program director. “These graduates are leaving Blinn prepared to save lives.”
Members of this year’s graduating class include: Karl Bollmann, Jason Bone, Landun W. Charles, Clint Cottrell, Zachary R. Hendrix, Tara J. Hodges, Larson Johnson, Andrew S. Kincell, D’Artagnan Logsdon, Jordan T. McIntosh, Victor Meitzen, Chad Sennett, Anderson Shipman, David B. Vanadore, Rafael Villarreal, Phillip C. Wilson and Matthew R. Winkler.
Dr. Edward M. Racht, Chief Medical Officer of American Medical Response and an emergency medical services and healthcare professional for 28 years, served as keynote speaker at the pinning ceremony.
Varner, a Blinn alumnus and nine-year emergency medical services veteran, attributes the students’ success to the program’s seasoned instructors and rigorous, hands-on coursework.
“I could not be more proud of these students,” Varner said. “They have worked incredibly hard over the last three semesters, including countless hours of lab and clinical rotations and a 240-hour summer internship. They are prepared to take their knowledge and skills and use them to serve their communities.”
Blinn’s Paramedic Program is part of the Emergency Medical Services Program, which offers emergency medical technician and paramedic training. For more information, visit: www.blinn.edu/twe/ems. Story and photo courtesy of Blinn College.