For Immediate Release:
August 16, 2019
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
Laurel Ridge’s EMS – Paramedic Program has been granted continuing accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) Board of Directors. The board acted upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions.
Through the accreditation process, which includes a thorough review of the program, curriculum, resources, faculty and staff, as well as a site visit, the EMS – Paramedic program at Laurel Ridge was determined to be in substantial compliance with the nationally-approved standards and guidelines for educational programs as established by the EMS – paramedic profession.
“This achievement is really a testament to the commitment of the EMS faculty and Laurel Ridge,” says Associate Professor of EMS Education Vincent McGregor. “We first received this national accreditation in 2014.”
The accreditation is reviewed every five years.
Lord Fairfax’s paramedic program has been operating since 2010, and each year about seven or eight students complete the paramedic curriculum and are eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians National Paramedic Certification exam.
The college first began offering EMS education in 2005.
Before entering the paramedic program, a student must be EMT-certified. Laurel Ridge offers an EMT certification course. Find out more at www.laurelridge.edu/ems.
CAAHEP accredits more than 2,200 educational programs that prepare health professionals in 32 different disciplines. Accreditation is one step in a process that is meant to protect the public and ensure a supply of qualified health care professionals. For more information about CAAHEP and accreditation, visit www.caahep.org .
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With four locations — Middletown, Warrenton, Luray-Page County and most recently, Vint Hill— the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College (Laurel Ridge) is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College. Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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