When there’s a medical emergency, residents count on emergency medical professionals to come to the rescue.

The LBW Community College paramedic program, which trained many of the professionals in this area, was recently awarded continuing accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Program Director Wayne Godwin said the program under went a peer review in February in which visiting officials talked to medical directors, visited clinical sites and studied the curriculum.

The Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions and CAAHEP’s board of directors reviewed the program.

“They were looking to see if we are providing a quality education,” he said. “They did not find anything wrong. We actually had no compliance issues. There were no violations of standards. “

Godwin said while the paramedic program isn’t the largest in the state, it does have a lot to be proud of.

“Our program averages 40 to 50 students,” he said. “About 20 percent of those are paramedics. The rest includes EMTs and Advanced EMTs.”

The paramedic program at LBWCC is a two-year degree program, and Godwin said those who complete the two years are eligible to sit for the national registry exam.

“For the last two years, we have had our first-time passage rate to be 100 percent,” he said. “It is one of the highest in Alabama.”

Godwin said job placement for paramedics is equally as good.

“Over the last five or six years, we have had 100 percent job placement among our paramedic graduates.”

EMT certification is one semester, with advanced EMT certification requiring an additional semester.

“The hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff in this program is evident in the continuing accreditation,” said LBWCC President Dr. Herb Riedel. “Not only can students be assured of quality training as an emergency medical technician and or paramedic, employers and future patients will ultimately benefit the most from their training at the highest standards.

For more info on the program, call 881-2210.