Paramedic Students Answer the Call, Earn Honors

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Thursday, January 30 2025 @ 08:21 am

PARAMUS, N.J. – With certification exam outcomes exceeding the statewide average, Bergen Community College paramedic science program students have secured the National Conference on EMS “Director’s Award” for the institution. More than 99 percent of Bergen paramedic science students pass their certification and licensing exams compared with 96.7 percent of students across the state. Professor Joanne Piccininni leads Bergen’s paramedic science program, which features a team of two full-time and 16 part-time faculty members.

“We are truly honored to have our program's effectiveness in preparing students for the paramedic licensing exam recognized,” she said. “This acknowledgment reflects the dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence that our faculty consistently demonstrate in supporting student success.”

The National Conference on EMS recognized Bergen alongside other high-achieving emergency medical service education providers at an event in November in Atlantic City.

“You instill the values of compassion, resilience and professionalism in every student who walks through your doors,” Director of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services Candace Gardner said at the event. “Your programs are shaping the future of EMS and your efforts are directly saving lives.”

As emergency medical service practitioners, paramedics provide critical treatment and advanced life support to patients en route to a hospital emergency room or medical facility.

Launched in 2014, Bergen’s paramedic science program represents one of only five degree-based courses of study in New Jersey. Students learn in a specialized medical simulation education facility at the College’s Meadowlands location in Lyndhurst, which includes resources such as a simulated residential apartment, an emergency department receiving area and an ambulance optimized for classroom instruction. Off-campus clinical rotations at local hospitals provide a practice-based learning environment to prepare students for immediate entry into the workforce. Program graduates enter a job market projected by the U.S. Department of Labor to grow “faster than the average for all occupations.” Graduates of Bergen’s paramedic science program earn an associate of applied science from the institution.

Paramedic science represents one of Bergen’s 12 degree program health professions courses of study such as dental hygiene, nursing and radiography. The College’s Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development offers an additional eight programs including medical billing, pharmacy tech and phlebotomy. More than 1,000 students enroll in Bergen health professions programs.

For more information on the paramedic science program, visit bergen.edu/paramedic.

Based in Paramus, Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu), a public two-year coeducational college, enrolls more than 13,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields. More students graduate from Bergen than any other community college in the state.

Photo Caption: Bergen Community College paramedic science students learn in a specialized laboratory at Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst.