Columbia State Community College recently recognized 10 emergency medical technicians and 37 advanced emergency medical technicians upon completion of their programs at the Spring 2022 EMS Pinning Ceremony at Cherry Theater.
Columbia State offered Advanced EMT to Dickson Fire in the spring of 2022 in response to specific industry needs. This allowed students to meet a significant portion of the degree requirements closer to home. Fifteen of the Advanced EMT graduates participated in an Integrated AEMT program at Dickson Fire. These students attended the lecture portion of the program at Dickson Fire and completed the skills portion of the course at the Columbia Campus. The clinical portion of the course was conducted in the normal way with local agencies/hospitals.
“I am extremely proud of the Spring 2022 cohort for the hard work that each has put into their courses,” said Greg Johnson, program director of the Columbia State EMS Academy. “Their dedication and passion for clinical excellence is evident in their academic success this semester. Each graduate will be a tremendous asset to the communities in which they will serve.”
These graduates are the fourth group of EMT graduates in the past year to achieve a 100% pass rate on the National Registry’s first attempt exam. The success of these students is phenomenal when compared to a national average first-try success rate of 59-68% over the same period.
An EMT provides basic life support at the site of illness and injury, and assists with transportation to the hospital. The Advanced EMT provides basic and advanced life support at sites of illness and injury through transportation to the hospital.
The Accelerated Pathway to Advanced Medical Emergency Medicine is an academy-style technical certificate program designed to educate and train students to serve as vital members of a pre-hospital EMS team in one semester. Students must complete 144 hours of clinical rotations to obtain a technical certificate in AAEMT.
EMT certificate completers also have the option to pursue the General Technology Associate of Applied Science degree by combining two certificate courses with general education courses to complete a personalized degree.
“With completers consistently achieving the highest pass rates in Tennessee, Columbia State’s EMS offering is the example for other programs to emulate,” said Dr. Kae Fleming, Dean of the Health Sciences Division at Columbia State. “Emergency medical personnel are in high demand, they provide immediate employment in the field and have excellent opportunities for continued growth and advancement.”
The program provides students with the necessary didactic and practical training to perform life-saving skills. In addition, students learn to work both alone and in a team-based (team) environment.
For more information about the EMS program, visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/EMS or contact Johnson at 931.540.2792.