November 17, 2015 - Albany, GA - Albany Technical College will hold Health Care Technology programs Capping and Pinning for fall term on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, beginning at 6pm in the Kirkland Conference Center. Keynote speaker for the program will be Charles Proctor, owner of Gold Star Emergency Medical Services.
Charles Proctor is the former Chair of the Paramedic Technology program at Albany Technical College. He began his career as a Paramedic in Valdosta in 1986 after attending Valdosta Technical College (now Wiregrass Technical College) and quickly went through the ranks at South Georgia Medical Center EMS. He was a Captain with the department and became the training officer. He started teaching Paramedics and EMT's at Valdosta Technical College and Moody Air Force Base in 1992.
Proctor continued his education and leadership roles and obtained his master's degree in education at Valdosta State University. He went on to produce a training film that teaches the general public how to do CPR called, "CPR- Learn to Save a Life," which was sold in Wal-Mart stores. He was asked to teach EMT's at Albany Technical College in 1999. After great success with the EMT program, in 2001, the college asked him to open a new paramedic program with assistance from Dr. Dorothy Garner and Dr. Anthony Parker.
While teaching at Albany Tech, Proctor feels one of his greatest accomplishments was convincing the college President, Dr. Anthony Parker, and the Georgia Department of Adult Education (now known as the Technical College System of Georgia) to name the First Responder Training Facility after Charles B. Gillespie, M.D., the pioneer of EMS in the State of Georgia and much of the country in the early 1970's. Ten years later, this facility located on the Albany Technical College campus is still one of the largest Emergency Responder training facilities in the state.
More than 50 Albany Tech students will be recognized during Wednesday evening's ceremony, including Practical Nursing, Pharmacy Technology, Paramedicine Technology, Health Information Management, and Surgical Technology programs.
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