Columbia State Community College recently recognized 42 emergency medical technicians and 23 advanced emergency medical technicians upon completion of certificates during the Spring 2026 EMS Pinning ceremony held in the Cherry Theater.

“The EMS Academy is excited to celebrate another incredible semester of success!” said Greg Johnson, Columbia State EMS program director and assistant professor. “We are encouraged to see these new EMT and AEMT graduates enter the workforce and be a positive addition to the communities in which they live and work.”

Traditional Spring 2026 EMT completers at the Columbia Campus achieved an 86% first-attempt pass rate for the national registry. Completers on the Williamson Campus achieved a 100% first-attempt pass rate for the national registry. Students in the integrated certificate received a 100% first-attempt pass rate on the EMT national registry and an 91% on the AEMT portion for the students who have tested to date.

An EMT provides basic life support at the site of illnesses and injuries, assisting with transport to the hospital. The Advanced EMT provides basic and advanced life support at sites of illness and injuries through transport to the hospital.

The accelerated AEMT path is an academy-style, technical certificate program designed to educate and train students to serve as vital members of a pre-hospital EMS team in a single semester. Students must complete 144 hours of clinical rotations to earn a technical certificate in AAEMT.

Over the past several years, Columbia State has offered seniors from area high schools in Middle Tennessee the opportunity to earn an EMT certificate via dual enrollment by embedding courses at Creek Wood, East Hickman and Fairview high schools.

In the Fall 2025/Spring 2026 semesters, the college made a dedicated section available at the Williamson Campus for seniors from any school. 21 high school and homeschool seniors completed EMT certification in May 2026.

EMT certificate completers also have the option to pursue the General Technology Associate of Applied Science degree by combining coursework from two certificates with general education courses to complete a personalized degree program.

“Students come to Columbia State's EMS Academy to take advantage of well-structured, rigorous learning opportunities designed to convert bystanders into highly-qualified, first responders in as little as 15 weeks,” said Dr. Kae Fleming, Columbia State dean of the Health Sciences Division. “Congratulations to these new EMS professionals!”

The program provides students with the necessary didactic and practical training to perform life-saving skills. Additionally, students learn to work alone, as well as in a squad-based (team) environment.

For more information about the EMS program, visit www.ColumbiaState.edu/EMS or contact Johnson at 931.540.2792.

To view more photos from the event, visit our Flickr page.