Western Colorado Community College emergency medical technician program sees exceptional test scores
Emergency medicine is one of the fastest growing fields in the healthcare industry and many looking to become emergency medical technicians are enrolling at Western Colorado Community College (WCCC) because of the program’s outstanding reputation.
“The program has steadily been growing since 2010 from one class per year to three classes per semester,” said Western Colorado Community College Emergency Medical Services Director Pam Holder.
The program’s not only growing but thriving. Graduates from 2019-2020 earned a 100% pass rate on their practical exam as well as on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam. For the national cognitive exam, the paramedic pass rate was 93%, which is no easy feat.
“As the director of the program, I am very pleased and excited with the direction that this program has taken. Our medical director is the Mesa County medical director, and he has been very active in the changes that the program has made to give our students the best education and training available," said Holder. "With the expertise from our staff, we have been able to provide a top-notch training program to ensure that our graduates are street-ready emergency technicians in whatever level they choose to obtain.”
WCCC instructors have decades of experience — from military trauma care to fire agency officer training.
“The program offers many years of experience from its faculty, all of which have 18-35 years of field and in-hospital emergency medicine training,” said Holder.
Their expertise has helped students get placed in varying jobs across the country, including Colorado, Alaska, California and Arizona.
“After obtaining their EMT certification, students can work on fire departments, ambulance services, hospital emergency rooms, doctor offices and on care flight teams," said Holder. "Some of our graduates have gone on to become doctors, nurses and care flight paramedics."
Learn more about WCCC’s EMT program.