RCBC Sees 100 Percent Graduation Rate In EMT Program

For just the second time in 15 years, Virtua’s Emergency Medical Technician course at Rowan College at Burlington County achieved a 100 percent passing rate, the college announced this week. All 26 students who took the state’s certification test passed it. The exam is administered by the N.J. Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services.

The certification is required for students who wish to enter the Paramedic Science associate degree program. Virtua brought this program to the college a year ago and it enrolled 89 students from throughout the region this academic year. It was the second time the course was offered in partnership between Rowan College at Burlington County and Virtua, which greatly expanded upon their Classroom to Career partnership last year.

It helped contribute to Rowan College at Burlington County’s first enrollment increase in five years in the spring. That included a 14 percent increase in health sciences enrollment.

“We are very proud of these students who will make a difference in the community’s response to health emergencies and their own careers,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Paul Drayton said. “A 100 percent success rate is phenomenal and another sign that our partnership with Virtua truly represents the future of healthcare education.”

“There is a real need for more highly trained first responders and we are happy that our partnership with RCBC is providing opportunity for more dedicated professionals to enter this rewarding field,” said Al Campanella, Virtua’s executive vice president of Strategic Growth and Business Analytics. “This is a real career path that can take someone from classroom to career at Virtua or healthcare providers throughout the region.”

Virtua and RCBC partner in a number ways including:

• Clinical learning opportunities for Health Sciences students.
• Tuition benefits for Virtua associates and Health & Wellness Center benefits for RCBC associates.
• Close collaboration on curriculum and program development.
• Community events that promote health, wellness and education.

“I was privileged to experience the impact of organ donation and get a real view of how important quality and training is in healthcare,” Burlington County Freeholder Linda Hughes said, who recently donated a kidney. “Having more highly trained first responders will greatly improve the ability to save lives in our county and beyond. Congratulations to Course Coordinator Debbie McClintock and all of her students on this wonderful success.”

For more information on Virtua’s Paramedic Sciences at RCBC, visit rcbc.edu/paramedic-science.

Attached image provided by Rowan College at Burlington County