Graduating Class Marks 40 Years of the Paramedic Program at UC

The 28 paramedics who graduated from UC Blue Ash and UC Clermont colleges this summer marked the 40th year since the first paramedic education class graduated from the University of Cincinnati.

The students took part in a paramedic graduation ceremony on Aug. 1 in the Muntz Auditorium at UC Blue Ash College. More than 200 people attended the event, including family members and friends of the graduates, as well as local EMS personnel.

The paramedic certificate program is a joint collaboration between UC Blue Ash and UC Clermont. The program was created in 1973 at the UC Uptown Campus and was originally sponsored by University Hospital Medical Center. The first class graduated from the one-year certificate program in 1974.

Each of the students in this year’s class completed over 1,000 hours of didactic and clinical experience to meet the graduation requirements and earn their certification. “This additional training takes their expertise to another level and allows them to pursue a promotion or even a new position in their field,” said Janice Evans, director of the EMS Technology Program at UC Blue Ash College. She added that most of the current job opportunities are with private ambulance services, hospitals and fire departments.

This year’s class includes three students who are second-generation graduates from the program, including Katie Theilmeyer whose mother graduated in 1986. “I’m incredibly grateful to my mom for setting such an amazing example of what a woman can do,” said Katie. “If she had not been a paramedic/firefighter, I may have never realized my passion or potential.”

For more information about the EMS Technology program at UC Blue Ash go to

www.ucblueash.edu

or at UC Clermont, visit

www.ucclermont.edu

.

UC Blue Ash College is a regional college within the University of Cincinnati. It offers one of the best values in higher education with access to a nationally recognized UC education in nearly 50 degrees and certificates, as well as tuition that is about half of most colleges and universities. The college is located on a scenic 135-acre wooded campus in the heart of Blue Ash, Ohio. To learn more, call 513-745-5600, visit us online at www.ucblueash.edu, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.