Twenty graduate from EMT-Paramedic training at VGCC


Seated, from left: EMT-Paramedic graduates Modjeska Thrower, Adreanna Flick, Ashlee Limer, Phyllis Stokes, Crystal Talley, Kelly Mubarez, Susan Rice, Morrissa Lawrence, Idabelle Proffitt and Nathasia Lofton; standing, from left: instructor Vivian Loyd, graduates Jamie Orr, Shane Rounds, John Gardner, Christopher Rigg, Jeffrey Harris, Timothy Fulcher, Paul Tidwell, Justin Chambers, Hunter Rigsbee and Luke Choplin, with EMS coordinator Stephen Barney. (VGCC photo)

Seated, from left: EMT-Paramedic graduates Modjeska Thrower, Adreanna Flick, Ashlee Limer, Phyllis Stokes, Crystal Talley, Kelly Mubarez, Susan Rice, Morrissa Lawrence, Idabelle Proffitt and Nathasia Lofton; standing, from left: instructor Vivian Loyd, graduates Jamie Orr, Shane Rounds, John Gardner, Christopher Rigg, Jeffrey Harris, Timothy Fulcher, Paul Tidwell, Justin Chambers, Hunter Rigsbee and Luke Choplin, with EMS coordinator Stephen Barney. (VGCC photo)

Vance-Granville Community College recently honored ten men and ten women who completed the college’s year-long Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic program in July.

Graduates included Morrissa Lawrence, Idabelle Proffitt and Paul Tidwell, all of Bullock; Nathasia Lofton of Butner; Timothy Fulcher, Jeffrey Harris, Jamie Orr, Phyllis Stokes and Modjeska Thrower, all of Henderson; Susan Rice of Kittrell; Adreanna Flick, Hunter Rigsbee and Shane Rounds, all of Oxford; John Gardner, III, of Roxboro; Justin Chambers and Christopher Rigg, both of Timberlake; Crystal Talley of Triple Springs (Person County); Kelly Mubarez of Vance County; Luke Choplin of Warren County; and Ashlee Limer of Warrenton.

Vivian Loyd, a Registered Nurse and Paramedic Level II instructor, was the instructor for the class.

EMT-Paramedic instruction includes 596 hours of didactic (classroom) training and 500 hours of clinical education, or field internship. To be eligible to take the EMT-P course, students had to first complete a 203-hour EMT-Basic course and pass a state exam.

An EMT-Paramedic has enhanced skills beyond the EMT-Basic level, including being able to administer additional interventions and medications. The EMT-P delivers the highest level of pre-hospital medical care in North Carolina. In order to successfully complete the EMT-P course, students had to pass several different exams, including a “scope of practice” exam. This scenario-based evaluation tested the hands-on and critical thinking skills of students, as they delivered the appropriate treatment to multiple trauma patients and dealt with pediatric, environmental, and mental-illness situations. Each student also had to complete an 80-hour Anatomy and Physiology course.

Now that students have completed the EMT-P course, they must take the 100-question North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services credentialing exam to become state-certified.

VGCC offers Emergency Medical Services training from the basic to the Paramedic level, in addition to continuing education. For more information on enrolling in these courses, call Stephen Barney at (252) 738-3273.