Emergency Health Sciences' flight medic program graduates 22nd class

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

By Kate Hunger 

The 22nd class of the Department of Emergency Health Sciences flight medic training program graduates on June 16. 

Members of the U.S. Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve attended the nearly 10-month course, said Leslie Hernandez, M.A.Ed., NREMT-P, EHS Director of Community Education. 

Army Sgt. Micheal Witham and Sgt. Grayson Harris were recognized as honor graduates during the ceremony, which was held at Joint Base San Antonio - Fort Sam Houston. 

The emergency health sciences program graduates more than 200 students each year, with multiple classes underway simultaneously. The 27th class will begin on July 10.

"They come to us for almost 10 months where they complete a 33-credit hour paramedic training program, and then an 8-week critical care flight paramedic preparatory program," Hernandez said. 

The students also take two national certifications exams - the National Registry Paramedic Exam (NRP) and the Flight Paramedic Certification (FP-C). 

"Following this program they have received orders to report their new duty stations in preparation for deployment," Hernandez said. "They will be staffing the helicopters as critical care flight medics."