Beaufort CCC Paramedic Program Celebrates 100% Certification Rate for Graduates

Twelve students have successfully completed the EMT for Paramedic program at Beaufort County Community College (Beaufort CCC), marking a milestone achievement: all 12 graduates obtained state certification at the time of graduation—an unprecedented feat for the college.

Since its inception in 2013, the program has produced 113 graduates, with all but two earning state certification. Beaufort CCC aims to continue this success with a new cohort set to begin on March 11 or 13.

The following students completed the program: Hunter Brickhouse, Gabe Covington, Caleb Dixon, Angela Doby, Stacie Franco, Tucker Jackson, Anne Johnson, Richard Lanier, Cole Mann, Carolyn Peachey, Timothy Pendley, and Simon Wilson.

EMS Instructor Glenn Mercer presented Caleb Dixon with the Outstanding Academic Performance Award in recognition of his exceptional achievements.

Guest speaker Claude Morrissey, a former U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer, shared insights from his career, including his experiences featured on The Weather Channel’s Coast Guard Alaska series. Morrissey was also honored as GEICO’s U.S. Military Person of the Year in 2013.

“You’ve got to take care of yourself emotionally, physically, and spiritually,” Morrissey advised the graduates. “I’m just impressed by the number 12. When I graduated, we started with 20, and only eight of us made it.”

Billy Respass, Director of EMS Programs, commended the graduates for their perseverance and dedication. “You have studied restlessly, practiced tirelessly, and pushed yourselves beyond what you thought possible. But above all, you have answered a calling greater than yourselves—the calling to serve others in their most critical moments.”

The EMT for Paramedic program follows guidelines established by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS) and the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP). It includes both online and in-person instruction designed to prepare EMTs and Advanced EMTs for the North Carolina or National Registry Paramedic Certification Exam.

To accommodate working EMTs and firefighters, the course follows a flip/flop model, offering in-person classes one day per week with two scheduling options. Students must have completed BIO-163 or a higher-level course and hold an active EMT or AEMT certification before enrolling.

In addition, Beaufort CCC now offers a one-year, online Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Emergency Medical Science bridge program for certified paramedics. Paramedics receive one year of credit for prior learning and complete their degree through online coursework in the second year.

For more information about EMS programs, contact Billy Respass at 252-940-6468 or [email protected]. To enroll in the AAS in Emergency Medical Science program, contact 252-940-6233 or [email protected].