A special coin and pinning ceremony honored 17 students graduating from the paramedic program at Cuesta College.
Some said they were looking to advance in their careers.
“When I started, I was an EMT for the ambulance,” said Carter Pope, Cuesta College Paramedic Program graduate. “I wanted to pursue some kind of profession in the medical field and after being able to work for a few years. I definitely wanted to expand my scope of practice and become a paramedic so I can offer more for my community.”
“I got my EMT through here through Cuesta and I worked with Santa Barbara County, AMR, for approximately six months,” said Clayton Beaird, program graduate. “After that, I wanted to go to the next level, which was being a paramedic.”
The three-semester program is taught at the San Luis Obispo campus.
“A lot of what we've learned is covered in general — different topics in the textbook, different types of medical emergencies,” said Pope. “A lot of these emergencies are things that we are probably going to be seeing out in the field and basically covering how they identify them, how to assess and ultimately how to treat and transport them to the hospital.”
Students who earn a Certificate of Achievement in Paramedic will qualify to take the national registry examination and later obtain their California paramedic license.
“To be honest, it's a lot of work,” Beaird said. “If you can do a college class, you can really do this. But you just have to love it. It takes a lot of hours. It takes a lot of studying. You know, everyone in this class, we do study groups.”
Nick Drake, San Luis Ambulance paramedic field supervisor, told KSBY News there is a need for first responders in the community.
He says they tend to hire students from Cuesta College.
“Yes, there is a need for first responders in the community.,” said Drake. “You know, we're the first line of people that respond to emergencies. We love hearing from the local community college. We often send our own employees there to be educated, to be paramedics.”
