MountainView Hospital graduates students from paramedic institute
MountainView Hospital, a full-service teaching hospital in northwest Las Vegas, celebrated its fourth graduating class of Paramedics from the hospital’s Paramedic Institute. Cohort 4 included 50 students from nine agencies throughout Southern Nevada.
Launched in late 2020, the MountainView Hospital Paramedic Institute is currently the only hospital in Las Vegas, as well within HCA Healthcare, to offer an extensive education and training program for prehospital professionals throughout the Las Vegas Valley.
The Cohort 4 of paramedic provider students took part in a 57-week program that involved a stringent didactic regimen, skills practice lab, and hands-on clinical immersion. MountainView partnered with local Fire Departments and private EMS agencies in creation of the program. Students attending the institute were sponsored by each agency. The valedictorian of cohort 4 is Genevieve Canada Guthery, with Medic West Ambulance.
"This is a true testament to the power of collaboration. MountainView Hospital, alongside our dedicated community partners, is demonstrating that remarkable outcomes occur when we combine our strengths to pursue a shared goal," said Troy Tuke, RN, NREMT-P, Program Director for the MountainView Hospital Paramedic Program. "Our students are entering the field fully prepared, ready to provide exceptional care to the residents and visitors of the Las Vegas Valley.”
The most recent cohort included students representing 10 SNHD Licensed EMS agencies including AMR Ambulance, Boulder City Fire Department, Community Ambulance, Clark County Fire Department, Henderson Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, Moapa Valley Fire District, Medic West Ambulance, North Las Vegas Fire Department, Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue.
To graduate, students completed 57 weeks of a clinically immersive program, two didactic blocks with two clinical block rotations. Students also had to complete numerous industry certifications, including Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS), Pre Hospital Trauma Life support (PHTLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) among others. Students also had to successfully complete the National Registry of EMT Psychomotor exam, the Southern Nevada Health District Protocol Exam and successful completion of an agency field internship. This qualified each student to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Paramedic cognitive exam.
Graduates from cohort 4 have all passed their NREMT cognitive exam and are working in the field as Paramedics.
"Congratulations to the fourth graduating class of the MountainView Hospital Paramedic Institute. The dedication these men and women have shown, not only to their careers but to our community, deserves to be celebrated," said Hiral Patel, Chief Executive Officer of MountainView Hospital. "We also owe a deep gratitude to our agency partners; their unwavering support is crucial in shaping the medical professionals who serve our community."
The need for paramedic schools in Southern Nevada is great, as the area, much like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a Paramedic/EMS provider shortage. This has been exasperated by an aging workforce, and overall decline in interest in the paramedic profession.
The MountainView Hospital Paramedic Institute is now in its fifth cohort of 65 students.
MountainView Hospital is a regional leader in medical education, including paramedics, nursing and pharmacy. MountainView is also home to the Sunrise Health Graduate Medical Education Consortium, which includes more than 250 residents and fellows in numerous disciplines including emergency medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, radiology, anesthesiology and OBGYN, physical medicine and rehabilitation.