WHEN: TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 6 P.M.
WHERE: DuVal Auditorium, University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave.
MEDICAL WRITERS/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Media are welcome to cover this event. UA paramedic graduates are available prior to and immediately following the ceremony to talk about the duties of their job, the trials they face, and the satisfaction of helping others in their communities. To make arrangements, please contact Jo Marie Gellerman,
626-7219, or Beth Tucker, 626-5540.
These are a few of the challenges the 20 graduates of The University of Arizona Paramedic Training Program could face as they embark on their career as emergency medical services (EMS) providers. The UA will honor the graduates at a ceremony being held Tuesday, June 27, 6 p.m. in DuVal Auditorium, University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave.
"Paramedics are often the first health care professionals to treat patients with acute illnesses or after injuries. They need an increased knowledge base to provide advanced emergency medical care prior to arrival at hospital emergency departments. They must be ready to take the call, no matter what its nature," says Wanda J. Larson, MEd, program director of the University of Arizona Paramedic Program at the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center (AEMRC).
"Emergency medical services have undergone a dramatic revolution since 9/11," says Harvey Meislin, MD, head of the Department of Emergency Medicine in the UA College of Medicine. "The need for well-trained EMS providers is even more critical. Their work is vital and exciting and demand in the job market for these professionals is high."
John Fink, Jr., chief of the Golder Ranch Fire District and a 1977 alumnus from the first Paramedic Training Program at the UA will be the keynote speaker.
The 10-month UA paramedic curriculum offers 64 college credits in an accelerated learning environment, culminating in an on-site National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) examination. The UA Paramedic Training Program begins Aug. 22 and applications are being accepted.
Established by the Arizona Board of Regents in 1990, the AEMRC is a Center of Excellence of the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona. The mission of the AEMRC is the advancement of research, education, and training in emergency medicine. In addition to the Paramedic Training Program, the AEMRC offers all levels of EMS workshops and training classes, including EMT Basic courses, Paramedic Refresher courses, and the international courses Advanced Hazmat Life Support (AHLS) and Toxic Terrorism.
