MACON, Ga. — On Thursday in Macon, a group of graduates celebrated being one step closer to becoming EMT's.
Since January, a group of 10 students have worked toward completing the EMS externship training course offered by Atrium Health Navicent.
On Friday, the students will officially graduate and celebrate their accomplishments before taking the state licensing exam in June to officially become EMT workers.
Students in the program took training classes and also had hands on experience shadowing EMS crews on calls and transporting patients.
Malik Hendrix says the hands on aspect of learning is what he will remember most about his time in the program.
"In a traditional classroom for EMS training you go through the curriculum in a regular class setting. But here you are actually interacting with patients from day one. You're learning all the stuff in the real world, not just in a textbook," he said.
Joshua Humphrey, who is another a graduate of the program, says the course has given him all the resources he needs to succeed.
"This is a dream for me, it's a dream job. This program, the way it was designed has allowed me to take the stresses of worrying about finances off, worrying about security in different areas because it's all encompassed. We're able to come to work, be on the clock, and still get hands on training while we are going through class, while doing our studying and stuff like that. And the experience we get here is far above top notch," he said.
Organizers of the program say it is designed to help students succeed, and hopefully have jobs there in the future.
"The goal of the EMS Externship program is to create a career pipeline for individuals interested in entry-level positions as an EMT, train them, and then match them with a job at Atrium Health Navicent once they've passed the state exam," said a press release for the program.
Anyone can participate, ranging from recent high school graduates to seasoned workers who are looking for a career change.
Tony Brown, the EMS Director for Atrium, says he is extremely proud of the graduates and all the work they've done.
"I am supremely proud of these students. From day one it has been pretty awesome to see the hard work and the level of commitment they have brought to the program. They were excited from the day we first interviewed them, and we brought them into the program and that enthusiasm has not waned one bit in the last 20 weeks," he said.
Since this year's program was such a success, Atrium Health Navicent plans to hold another EMS training program in 2024.