PBSC Paramedic students win ClinCon competition

The “Panthermedics” are on the prowl and winning. This team of Palm Beach State College Paramedic students placed first in the student division at the 2016 Bill Shearer International ALS/BLS (Advanced and Basic Life Support) Competition at the ClinCon Conference, held July 13-15 in Orlando.
The prestigious annual competition pits national and international emergency medical services teams against each other in realistic prehospital care scenarios. A parallel competition for school EMS teams allows students to test their skills in the same scenarios.
Palm Beach State’s team topped seven other school teams, including American Medical Academy, Barry University, Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety, Florida State University, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College and Tallahassee Community College. The PBSC team also ranked well against the 23 professional teams competing, placing 13th overall in the competition.
The Panthermedics—Jason Wolff, Daisy Buitrago and Courtney Matarazzo—represented the College’s EMS Club and won $125 for their winning score and free entry to next year’s competition.
“The school is lucky to be represented at the state level by such a fine group of students, and the students are lucky to have such an outstanding and supportive school to attend,” said Joseph “Pete” McGrane, an occupational skills evaluator for PBSC’s Paramedic program.
Organized by the Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center, ClinCon has provided continuing education for emergency care professionals for more than 40 years and is considered Florida’s premier EMS event.