MCC paramedic students receive pins
Instructor Sam Gellatly, left, congratulates Whitney Blackwell, John Hollingsworth, Trenton Evers, and William Lance Thompson for their work in the Emergency Medical Services Paramedic Program.
In a ceremony that symbolized the start of a new chapter, Meridian Community College saluted students Whitney Blackwell, John Hollingsworth, Trenton Evers, and William Lance Thompson for completing the Emergency Medical Services Paramedic Program.
The four received their paramedic pins during a ceremony at the conclusion of their year-long studies. The program instructors, Ben White and Sam Gellatly, noted the students’ intensive training: they logged in 360 hours in the field and more than 200 hours in an emergency room setting. The students must pass a credentialing test before working in the field as a paramedic.
White, in addressing the students, encouraged them to continue learning. “It doesn’t end here. This is only the beginning. We only showed you what you had inside of you the whole time,” he said to the four. In turn, Evers applauded his instructors for their leadership and encouragement and said, “Thank you for giving me and my classmates the push to be courageous. You two were in our corners the whole time.”
Meridian Community College houses the state’s first Emergency Medical Science Academy. This division is responsible for the delivery of all Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic courses, clinical experiences, and EMS testing at MCC. The Emergency Medical Science Academy is a comprehensive learning environment designed specifically for EMS students of all levels.
MCC President Dr. Tom Huebner congratulated the students. “We’re proud of you and we know you didn’t get here by accident. We know you got here by hard work. In many cases this was what you were made to be and born to do and that’s really special.”
Visit meridiancc.edu/ems for more information.