Celebrating 50 years of excellence in paramedicine at Creighton
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As Creighton’s paramedicine program marks its 50th anniversary this academic year, it has both a history and future worth celebrating.
Creighton has long been at the leading edge of the field of paramedicine, says Andrew Eckart, MS’24, NRP, interim director for the paramedicine program.
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The University was among the earliest group of institutions to offer paramedicine training, accepting paramedics starting in 1974. The program was also part of the first cohort of institutions to earn accreditation in 1984, nearly three decades before it was required.
Today, paramedicine programming ranges from a semester-long EMT certification to a robust master’s degree program that is one of just five such programs nationwide.
Eckart says that the core bachelor's degree paramedic program has long earned notice from prospective students. “We have students enrolling from all over the country, including California and Hawaii, in part because we have impressive national registry pass rates,” he says.
While the 50th anniversary marks a meaningful milestone, the program is not resting on its past successes. It is ramping up research efforts, addressing a critical need in a field where research remains scarce. Creighton Paramedicine received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control to fund an immersive reality room for interprofessional education, and other grant opportunities are in progress. In 2023, it forged a partnership with the Omaha Fire Department to provide paramedic training to its firefighters and EMTs.
We have students enrolling from all over the country, including California and Hawaii, in part because we have impressive national registry pass rates.
— Andrew Eckart, MS’24, NRP, interim director for the paramedicine program
Watch Creighton Paramedicine’s 50th anniversary message.
Some of Creighton’s paramedicine program leaders gathered to share a special message in celebration of Creighton Paramedicine’s 50th anniversary.
In 50 years, the paramedicine program has touched many lives — from the students the program educates to the patients it serves. In reflecting on the magnitude of this impact, one recent story rises to the top.
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In the fall of 2023, Eric Pagnano, BS-PMC’22, MS-EMS’23, NRP, FP-C, clinical instructor of paramedicine, and paramedicine student Ava Brandt, NRP, Class of 2025, had just wrapped up Creighton’s Blessing of Hands Ceremony, an event that helps students and faculty reflect on the privilege to be called to a profession of service. The two, who were also both volunteers at the Carter Lake, Iowa, fire station, were traveling to the station to start their shift after the ceremony when they got an emergency call: a man had gone into cardiac arrest.
Four minutes later, the pair were on the scene, providing CPR and defibrillations to the man before transferring him to the hospital.
Thanks to their interventions, bystander CPR and the receiving hospital’s continuation of care, he fully recovered. “You get into this profession because you want to help people,” Brandt says. “So, to save someone’s life after the Blessing of Hands felt almost monumental.”
While few students have the kind of introduction to the field that Brandt had, her early successful efforts encapsulate the very best of the paramedicine program at Creighton: high-impact and mission-driven.
You get into this profession because you want to help people. So, to save someone’s life after the Blessing of Hands felt almost monumental.
— Ava Brandt, NRP, Class of 2025
Watch the full interview.
Hear more from Eric Pagnano and Ava Brandt about their life-saving moment and how Creighton uniquely prepares them to answer their calling as compassionate, expert providers and careers of leadership and service.
Brandt, who is now a nationally registered paramedic, says she’s proud to contribute to the paramedicine program’s impactful work and legacy.
But she’s also quick to add that she particularly appreciates that her work is propelled by a larger purpose. “From day one, we talk about the Jesuit core values, including men and women for and with others,” she says. “To me, that aligns with being a paramedic. I enjoy putting that higher purpose into the profession.”
Paramedicine program offerings
If you are interested in a career as an EMT or EMS professional, view our wide range of offerings – from certifications to a master’s degree.
Certifications:
- EMT
- Pre-hospital care EMT for nurses
- EMS instructor
- EMS management
- Paramedic
- Critical care paramedic
- Paramedic certification course for healthcare professionals
Degrees:
100% of 2023 graduates are employed or continuing their education. Certificate and bachelor’s students earned a 98% cumulative pass rate on the 2023 paramedic national registry exam.
