Elizabeth City, North Carolina — College of The Albemarle’s (COA) graduates of the EMS-Paramedic program, as well as the Practical Nursing program, have achieved 100 percent pass rates in their first attempt taking their individual exams.

Twelve graduates of EMS-Paramedic took the state Paramedic exam and all passed on the first attempt, resulting in 17 students having taken and successfully passing the Paramedic exam in 2019 on their first try. Since October of 2018, 26 students have taken COA’s EMS-Paramedic courses and passed the state exam in their first attempt to become certified paramedics.

Robin Harris, Dean of Health Sciences and Wellness Programs, shared “COA’s EMS program continues to grow and have new successes in many areas, including this 100 percent first-time pass rate for the Paramedic credential. It is the leadership in the program, the many EMS faculty and staff who so diligently contribute their time and talents to educating students, and strong partnerships with all the county EMS agencies across the region that help us, and these students, to be so successful.”

All 22 graduates of the 2019 Practical Nursing program received 100 percent pass rate results on their first attempt in taking the North Carolina Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). “The Practical Nursing program continues a long history of success at COA with over 60 years’ experience in training the nursing workforce,” Harris stated. “LPNs are integral to our long-term care facilities and physician offices across the area, and we are proud of this successful group of graduates on their 100 percent pass rate achievement, as well as the faculty that teach them.”

This gives four of the Health Sciences and Wellness programs 100 percent pass rates for 2019 graduates of Associate Degree Nursing, Medical Laboratory Technology, Practical Nursing and EMS-Paramedic.

“In the end, it is each student’s passion to care for others along with their individual hard work to learn the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be Paramedics and LPNs that make the difference in our success on these measures,” Harris explained. “Most importantly, we can be confident that these students are ready to move into our community to work and care for those in need. We are so proud of the students from the Health Sciences and Wellness Division that have achieved distinction of certification or licensure over the past several months.”