BCCC Paramedic Program Graduates 10, Maintains Near-Perfect Certification Rate | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

(Back, left to right): EMS Programs Director Billy Respass, Jesus Enriquez, Casey Langley, Kaitlyn Evarts, Joshua Hassell, and EMS Instructor Glenn Mercer. (Front, left to right): Logan Langley, Tori Tucker, Jessie Miller, and Gwendolyn Middleton. (Not pictured: Jasmine McFarland and Jalen Pearce)

    WASHINGTON, N.C.     Ten students have successfully completed the Paramedic program at Beaufort County Community College (BCCC). Of the graduating class, seven students passed the state exam on the first attempt. One student from the program commuted weekly from Conover, N.C. and worked at Medic (Mecklenburg EMS) in Charlotte.

    Since its inception in 2013, the program has produced 123 graduates across 10 cohorts and holds a 99.6% pass rate for the North Carolina Paramedic Certification Exam.

    The following students completed the program: Jesus Enriquez, Kaitlyn Evarts, Joshua Hassell, Casey Langley, Logan Langley, Jasmine McFarland, Gwendolyn Middleton, Jessie Miller, Jalen Pearce, and Tori Tucker.

    EMS Instructor Glenn Mercer presented Joshua Hassell with the Academic Excellence Award in recognition of his exceptional achievements.

    Guest speaker Brian Alligood, Beaufort County manager and former paramedic, shared insights on the importance of "Primum non nocere" (first, do no harm), advocating for patients, and self-care. He emphasized the expanding scope of paramedic practice and the need for professional and personal balance in the demanding field.

    "Paramedics can do a lot of really cool stuff, but just because you can do something doesn't necessarily always mean that you should do it," said Alligood. "I remember back in the day using the Motorola advanced portable coronary observation radio or the APCOR which allowed you to simultaneously talk to medical control and send them a whopping three-lead EKG. But today, paramedics run 12 leads, they analyze a rhythm, they start appropriate medications, they notify medical control what they're doing, and then they're headed directly to the cath lab. So, we've come a long way in a place where time is not always your friend when you're dealing with medical emergencies, but always remember, if you can't fix the problem, move your patient as quickly as you can to someone or somewhere that has the resources to do so, or, in the EMS lingo, don't stay and play when you need to load and go."


    The EMT to Paramedic program follows guidelines established by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS) and the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). It includes both online and in-person instruction designed to prepare EMTs and Advanced EMTs for the North Carolina or National Registry Paramedic Certification Exam.

    In addition, BCCC now offers a one-year, online Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Medical Science bridge program for certified paramedics. Paramedics receive one year of credit for prior learning and complete their degree through online coursework in the second year.

    The next cohort EMT to Paramedic class is scheduled to start June 9 or 11. It will be based on the flip-flop model where students will attend either Tuesday or Thursday each week. Students must have completed BIO-163 or a higher-level course and hold an active EMT or AEMT certification before enrolling. For more information about EMS programs, contact Billy Respass at 252-940-6468 or billy.respass@beaufortccc.edu. To enroll in the AAS in Emergency Medical Science program, contact 252-940-6233 or admissions@beaufortccc.edu.

• Attila Nemecz
• Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
• Beaufort County Community College
• 5337 U.S. Highway 264 East
• Washington, N.C. 27889
• Ph: 252-940-6387
• Cell: 252-940-8672
• attila.nemecz@beaufortccc.edu