EMS training program begins this fall at PJC

Published or Revised June 16, 2008

Training emergency medical workers is the aim of a new program beginning this fall at Paris Junior College, according to PJC Workforce and Continuing Education Dean David McAnally. Certified EMS Instructor and Coordinator Blaine Jones has been hired to direct the program. "With the demand in the area for emergency medical service employees, we began two years ago to implement an EMS program," said McAnally. "We were fortunate to hire Blaine Jones with his extensive background and proven success with an EMS program. During his time as director of the Northeast Texas Community College's EMS program for the past ten years, his students consistently had a much higher pass rate than the Texas average." Jones has an A.A.A. from Texarkana College in emergency medical services, and worked as a licensed paramedic for 10 years. In the Northeast Texas region, there is a projected increase of 34 percent in the need for emergency medical technicians and paramedics from 2004 to 2014. PJC's new program is designed to get students on the National Registry of Emergency Technicians, which will greatly aid them in finding jobs in the area. The new program will be under the Health Occupations Division and will offer an Emergency Medical Technician certificate, an EMS Paramedic Certificate, and an A.A.S. in emergency medical services.