Emergency Medical & Allied Health Programs

Dental Assistants provide quality preventative and corrective dental care under direct supervision of the Dentist or Dental Hygienist.  The Dental Assistant is responsible for assisting dentists and dental hygienists with patient care, as well as providing certain administrative support to the office.

EKG Technicians are responsible for performing electrocardiogram tests in order to monitor and record electrical impulses transmitted by the heart.  These tests include basic EKG's, Holter Monitoring (portable EKG which records activity for 24-48 hours), 12-lead placement and Stress Test (treadmill).  They assist a physician in diagnosing and treating cardiac and blood vessel irregularities.

Medical billing professionals keep records, calculate patient charges, and maintain files of payments made to accounts.  Duties include: reviewing hospital records, calculating charges for a patient's hospital stay; preparing itemized statements; reviewing purchase orders and tracking accumulated hours.  Medical Coders are responsible for the collection of physician charges and patient data to ensure that claims are submitted to insurance carriers, accurately and in the most efficient and expeditious manner.  Additionally, Medical Coders determine codes for physician procedures and diagnosis - using ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding protocols - for third party billing proposes.

Pharmacy Technicians work in pharmacies under the direction of a pharmacist.  Their main responsibility is filling prescriptions according to doctors' orders.  Pharmacy Technicians prepare medications for dispensing to patients.  This generally includes retrieving drugs in the correct dosage form and strength, measuring the appropriate amount of drug and producing a prescription label.  Pharmacy Technicians work with drugs to be administered orally, topically, for the eye, nose, etc.  Depending on the practice setting, a Pharmacy Technician is also involved in the admixture of drugs for intravenous use.

The Phlebotomist is a vital member of the clinical laboratory team, whose main function is to obtain patient's blood specimens by venipuncture and micro collection.  The field of Phlebotomy has greatly expanded in the past several years, and the role of this integral member of the health care team has recently been brought into much sharper focus.

The Emergency Medical Services Program is a 68 Credit Hour Associate Degree Program and is designed for students who are interested in pursuing jobs such as a Paramedic on a volunteer or paid squad or a supervisory or management level position with an emergency medical services system.

This 120-hour program required as minimum level of care by the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services. The EMT-Basic will take a WV State practical exam and a National Registry written exam for certification. Certification will be good for three years and is recertified by completing a refresher course.

The EMT-I Certification is a one year program of study and  is designed to prepare students for entry into the world of Emergency Medical Services. Students seeking this certificate must be a certified EMT-Basic, which can also be obtained at Blue Ridge CTC.  This coursework consists of lecture and practical labs, as well as hands-on training.

This course emphasizes the skills needed to provide basic emergency care during the first phases of an emergency. The course is 44 hours of classroom and practical training in all aspects of initial response to an emergency. This course will have a final written and practical exam for certification as a First Responder. Recertification is required every two years.

At the completion of this two-year certificate program, a student is eligible to sit for the National Registry Paramedic Examination.  At the completion of these courses, the student will have earned 48 credit hours.  In addition to the certificate, the student may take additional classes and obtain an Associate of Science Degree in Emergency Medical Service. 

The Fire Science Program is a 66 Credit Hour Associate Degree Program and is designed for students who are interested in pursuing jobs as Fire Service Professionals in the public, private, or industrial settings.

The Safety Technology Program is a 66 Credit Hour Associate Degree Program and is designed for students who are interested in pursuing jobs as safety professionals for hospitals, factories, or small businesses.

The Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree is designed to prepare the graduate to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) for registered nurses and to enter a career as a beginning practitioner of nursing.