From left, seated: instructor Vivian Loyd with graduates Melissa Clark, Ruby Wheeler, and Quentin Woody; from left, standing: EMS coordinator Stephen Barney with graduates Dylan Cash, James Poteat, Gavin Frederick and Richard Lovings. (VGCC photo)
Vance-Granville Community College recently honored two women and five men who completed the college’s 11-month-long Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic program in December.
Graduates included Dylan Cash and James Poteat, both of Grassy Creek (Granville County); Richard Lovings of Henderson; Melissa Clark of Oxford; Quentin Woody of Watkins (Vance County); and Gavin Frederick and Ruby Wheeler, both of Wilton.
Vivian Loyd, a Registered Nurse and Paramedic Level I 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.