Lead instructor and guest speaker Dezmond Harper likened the program to sipping from a fire hose, but the graduates rose to the challenge and completed the course. Harper encouraged the students as they continue to serve to advocate for their patients and themselves.
Sgt. Renee Smith was selected as the distinguished honor graduateWomack Army Medical Center and Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) celebrated the newest Combat Paramedic Course graduates during a ceremony held on Thursday, March 7, at FTCC Spring Lake Campus.
Thirteen students graduated from the twenty-week program of instruction. The paramedic students came from various installations to complete the task of becoming nationally registered paramedics.
According to Staff Sgt. Christina Richardson-Belen, Combat Paramedic Program coordinator, they have worked relentlessly to meet the didactic clinical and national accreditation entities to earn the title of Paramedic. They were required to have 200 hours in the laboratory, 156 hours in hospitals across the region and 240 hours on the ambulance while receiving 600 hours of classroom instruction spanning over a five-month period. while Sgt. Colton Hornstra received the superior academic achievement.
“I really didn’t expect to get this great honor,” said Smith. “Coming in, I was ready for anything.”
Smith credits her success to her family, friends, and instructors, and plans to continue working in the emergency department.
“When you are in the emergency room you are saving patients, taking care of those who need it,” said Smith.
This milestone marks the readiness of these graduates to providing life-saving care in high pressure situations. The Womack 20-week Combat Paramedic Course is designed to take the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certified 68 W - Combat Medical Specialists and prepare the service member for the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians- Paramedic (NR-P) cognitive and psychomotor examination.
To honor their accomplishment the Military Paramedic graduates were presented with a certificate of course completion.