MCC Health & Public Safety Has New Leadership; Now a Designated NAEMT Site

Published on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024

Ashley Hernandez always knew she would be a teacher, but she never predicted she would move from early childhood to teaching adults! Ashley joined Montgomery Community College in March 2024 as its full-time Director of Health & Public Safety, after serving the college as the lead Emergency Medical Services instructor. Ashley holds her NC Paramedic certification as well as many specialized certifications. She has been an EMT for 17 years and a Paramedic for 7. Ashley holds certifications in many basic life support and advance life support specialties. Prior to accepting this position, she was employed by FirstHealth of the Carolinas as an Emergency Medical Services Training Officer.

Ashley holds an Associate of Arts in General Education from Arkansas Tech University when she was pursuing a career in early childhood education, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies at UNC Pembroke.  Over the years her rapport with adults grew, and she felt called to work with various communities across several states to strengthen training and outreach to first responders.

“I credit my calm nature in terms of how I came to be in this career,” explains Ashley. “I have been taking care of people, and developing relationships with partners, students and patients for a long time. In today’s emergency medicine, technical skills are important, but so is developing trust and showing sensitivity and compassion for the human condition.”

Ashley estimates she has trained hundreds of emergency responders over the years, and she thinks of it in terms of growth and nurturing. “When called to a scene, it is generally a very dark, vulnerable time for the person. Showing your caring, human side is not only appropriate, it’s very effective in helping to get them stabilized.”

Shortly after Ashley’s arrival, MCC was designated as an official National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians site. This designation will be very helpful for Ashley as she pursues additional coursework and certifications for emergency responders in North Carolina. Her goals are for MCC to become a centralized location for both customary and specialized training in the years to come.