The Guam Community College is holding the first-ever Guam Paramedic Training Program. GCC’s Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) office, in cooperation with the Guam Fire Department and the Guam Department of Labor, coordinated the Paramedic Training Program to provide GFD personnel with the ability to become certified Paramedics, which is the highest level of EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) certification. Thirty-six Guam Fire Department personnel have qualified to participate in the 44-week program which will feature a combination of online and on-site training sessions from July 22, 2020 to May 30, 2021. Participants who successfully complete the training will qualify to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (NREMT-P) exam and become certified Paramedics.
A paramedic is trained and certified to perform advanced life support (ALS), which includes administering IV fluids, injections, medications, and performing advanced respiratory procedures. Paramedics also perform many of the same functions as a basic EMT.
Training will be provided in partnership with the School of EMS, Tyler, Texas. The School of EMS faculty will conduct online instruction as well as three live training sessions on Guam, in September 2020, January 2021, and April 2021.
“The Paramedic Program has been discussed for several years, and we are proud to be able to offer it to our first-responders right here at GCC. The life-saving value of having trained paramedics cannot be overstated and making that training accessible on Guam means more of our EMTs will be able to gain this long-needed training and certification,” according to Dr. Mary Okada, GCC President.
“During medical emergencies, each minute that passes is a matter of life or death. While our current firefighters can provide advanced life support (ALS), this newprogram gives them the training and national certification they need to provide sustainable and continuous advanced pre-hospital care. As the first line of medical care,paramedics can bring the emergency room to the patient,” said Governor Lou Leon Guerrero
“This is an exciting time for the Guam Fire Department moving into this paramedic program. It increases our capabilities and service to the community and ensures thecontinuity of advanced medical care for years to come,” said Guam Fire Chief Dan Stone.
Along with this first-ever Paramedic Training on Guam, the Guam Community College is the first in the nation to be approved as an identified Alternate Location for The School of EMS by the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP).
Funding for the Paramedic training program is made possible through the Apprenticeship Training Program and funded by the Manpower Development Fund, established by Guam Public Law 18-48 for the purpose of funding local training programs, through registration fees on temporary alien labor and fines levied for violation of labor laws.
(Guam Community College)
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