PINEHURST- Sixteen graduates of the FirstHealth Paramedic Academy were recognized during a special graduation ceremony at Moore Regional Hospital on November 20.
Special remarks were provided by Donna Strong, Paramedic Academy coordinator; Matt Prestwood, vice president of operations at Moore Regional; Nathan Miller, M.D., FirstHealth EMS medical director; and Barry Britt, FirstHealth EMS administrative director.
Paramedic Academy graduate Natalie Vaughan delivered the keynote address, and Mark Sheeder, paramedic instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College, granted certificates to the graduates.
Members of the graduating class are Ryan Bacote, FirstHealth Chatham EMS; Nicole Burnett, FirstHealth Chatham EMS; Damian Carter, FirstHealth Chatham EMS; Jazmin Griswold, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Calib Hamlett, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Joseph Jessup, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Jacob Lennon, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Jesus Martinez, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Shelby Martins, FirstHealth Chatham EMS; Hailea Morrison, FirstHealth Richmond EMS; Sierra Nordan, FirstHealth Chatham EMS; Chuck Presley, FirstHealth Medical Transport; Jason Smith, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Taylor Smith, FirstHealth Lee EMS; Natalie Vaughan, FirstHealth Lee EMS; and Sheridian Wacker, FirstHealth Medical Transport.
Dakota Avery of FirstHealth Chatham EMS, who tragically lost her life earlier this year, was warmly remembered by her classmates and posthumously honored with a certificate of graduation in a touching tribute.
The FirstHealth Paramedic Academy, which is offered to full-time emergency medical technicians in partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College, lasts 44 weeks and includes more than 1,200 hours of classes, labs and clinical work. Labs were held at the Spring Lake campus, and field and hospital clinical rotations were completed at multiple FirstHealth locations. Employees continue to work full-time while completing the course, and work schedules and classroom hours are adjusted to accommodate students.
For more information about FirstHealth EMS, visit our website at www.firsthealth.org.
