星空传媒

Dr. Joshua Corsa  joined the Nags Head Fire Department the very first day he could at 16 years old, and 30 years later, that choice to help has shaped the course of his life.

鈥淚 genuinely wouldn鈥檛 know any other way,鈥� Corsa said. 鈥淚t just came naturally.鈥�

Thirty years on from his start in paramedicine, Corsa is a renowned trauma surgeon and emergency department and trauma medical director at Three Rivers Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, and a part-time surgeon at St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital. He serves as the medical director for eight EMS agencies across the state, a SWAT team and a helicopter search-and-rescue program. He鈥檚 also seen four combat deployments and serves as a U.S. Army Reserve physician and hospital commander.

Dr. Joshua Corsa 鈥�08

After earning his first paramedicine license from Tidewater Community College in Virginia Beach, Corsa got right to work as an EMT and paramedic; he also enlisted in the National Guard in Washington. When the urge to pursue more education and medical school struck him, Corsa found 星空传媒鈥檚 emergency medical care program and enrolled in 2006.

鈥淢y time at Western was absolutely fantastic. I was on the Cullowhee Fire Department, volunteering there, and I also worked nights for the ambulance service there in town,鈥� Corsa said. 鈥淭here were some days that I had to work during the day, and I would just show up to school in my uniform.鈥� Dr. Joshua Corsa 鈥淓veryone at Western was nothing but supportive and instrumental in helping me navigate all those things together. That was kind of my springboard into everything. I certainly would not be where I am without my time at Western.鈥�

After graduating from 星空传媒, Corsa earned his medical degree from East Carolina University and traveled to Orlando, Florida to complete a general surgery residency. From there, he continued on to Seattle for a critical care fellowship.

Corsa鈥檚 skills as a surgeon were thrown into the national spotlight in 2016 when he operated on victims of the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed and more than 50 were injured.

Corsa operated for more than thirty hours to save lives and eventually told his story to National Public Radio. He shared a poignant statement online, accompanied by a photo of the sneakers he鈥檇 worn that shift:

"On these shoes, soaked between its fibers, is the blood of 54 innocent human beings. I don鈥檛 know which were straight, which were gay, which were black or which were Hispanic.

"What I do know is that they came to us in wave upon wave of suffering, screaming and death. And somehow, in that chaos, doctors, nurses, technicians, police, paramedics and others performed superhuman feats of compassion and care.鈥�

As Corsa developed his expertise and climbed to higher leadership roles, he measured his success in the wellbeing of his subordinates, when those younger and more inexperienced medics and soldiers felt comfortable asking questions and confronting their mistakes.

鈥淲hen my paramedics felt comfortable calling and saying, 鈥楬ey, I don鈥檛 think I did good on this,鈥� or 鈥業 really want your advice,鈥� I knew we had finally gotten to that point culturally where I was succeeding,鈥� Corsa said. 鈥淲hile we do discuss our opportunities for improvement, it鈥檚 also as much about celebrating the victories and the things that went right, whether big or small, and trying to break down that barrier between physicians and paramedics.鈥�

Corsa encourages current 星空传媒 students aspiring to work in his field to always ask questions, because 鈥測ou鈥檒l be better at anything you do if you focus on the why.鈥�

鈥淭he fact that the program exists and allows paramedics who already have their paramedic certification 鈥� or people aspiring to become paramedics 鈥� to obtain a four-year degree is huge,鈥� Corsa said.

鈥淚 am very firmly in the camp that all paramedics should have degrees, whether that鈥檚 two years or four years. Western has done an incredible job, more than most places in America, at professionalizing paramedics and making it not just a trade but a true academic profession.

Joseph Zalkin is a changemaker, and the co-leader of the North Carolina EMS Regional Blood Coalition. The organization is dedicated to improving trained paramedics鈥� access to lifesaving blood in the field and is the second largest of its kind in the country.

Zalkin began the project four years ago with collaborators to address a historic obstacle for first responders. 鈥淓MS is often the first to arrive on a trauma call, but historically our capabilities have been limited,鈥� Zalkin said. 鈥淚f a patient had lost a lot of blood, we would replace it with clear fluids and transport them to the hospital, where they would then receive blood. That could be 20 minutes after injury or 45 minutes after injury, before they received blood.鈥�

Joseph Zalkin 鈥�81

鈥淗ospitals also have workflow issues. Once the patient arrives, it can take another 20 to 30 minutes before blood administration is authorized. So there can be a significant delay,鈥� Zalkin added.

The coalition now works with 20 different EMS agencies across the state to make sure paramedics have access to full blood bags, and counties like Orange and Durham are getting help with government grants from the Department of Transportation to purchase the equipment required for the blood to be stored and administered properly in the field.

Zalkin came onto this project eager to bring about change after a 35-year career as deputy director with Wake County. He鈥檇 pushed for similar growth before, as in 2016 when, after witnessing a fellow paramedic attacked by a patient, Zalkin worked with the Duke Endowment, the North Carolina office of EMS and Wake County to establish a workplace violence reporting registry and implement trainings focused on de-escalation, recognizing signs and taking defensive action.

That Zalkin has done so much with his retirement is a feat. That it comes on the tail end of a career defined by growth and development is that much more impressive.

鈥淲hen I arrived in Raleigh, Wake County EMS consisted of only four county ambulances serving the center of the county,鈥� Zalkin said. 鈥淣ine rescue squads provided the rest of the coverage. The county covered approximately 625 square miles.鈥�

鈥淭oday, Wake County EMS operates more than 50 ambulances and serves the entire county through an integrated EMS system,鈥� Zalkin said.

鈥淭he service includes paramedics, EMTs, community paramedics and mobile integrated health personnel.

鈥淭hese specialized providers focus on patients with chronic conditions such as heart failure, diabetes and frequent emergency department utilization.

鈥淚nstead of repeatedly transporting those patients to hospitals, community paramedics help keep them on track with their care plans and address problems before they become emergencies.鈥�

By partnering with local government officials and private groups like Doctors Making House Calls, Zalkin has been able to improve the quality of life for both working professionals and their patients and has been able to create space for new and necessary conversations.

When he praises 星空传媒鈥檚 EMC program, he speaks of its affordability, of the depth of students鈥� clinic exposure and, most especially, of the alumni community.

鈥淢any graduates from this program went into communities and built EMS systems from the ground up. That鈥檚 what I did in Wake County. We weren鈥檛 stepping into established systems. We were creating them. One of the strengths of this program has always been the alumni network.

鈥淭he program鈥檚 culture creates lifelong relationships. Whether someone remained in EMS or pursued another profession, there is a common thread: service. People are drawn to making a difference in their communities. That shared mission creates bonds that last decades.鈥�

"Community service was simply part of what we did鈥�That experience stayed with me throughout my life."

Kevin Dull is the founder and leader of EnviroSafe, an emergency consulting firm that鈥檚 educated public and private organizations about disaster preparedness for more than 30 years.

He is also one of the very first 星空传媒 graduates to earn a degree in emergency medical care.

Kevin Dull 鈥�84

Dull began his time at 星空传媒 with his sights set on a career in industrial safety. But alongside that goal was a deep appreciation for EMS, born of his time spent volunteering with the Clemmons Fire Department as a boy.

When Dull arrived on campus for his freshman year and saw the Student Emergency Care Team at work, he was shocked and intrigued.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 believe it. I had no idea Western had anything like that,鈥� Dull said. 鈥淚 found out who was in charge, went through the interview process, and during the second semester of my freshman year, I joined the SEC Team.鈥�

Dull fell in love with the work and became deeply involved in campus EMS operations. Alongside his industrial technology classes, Dull completed a number of health sciences electives.

鈥淭he SEC Team did much more than respond to emergencies on campus. We participated in community service projects throughout the region. We taught first-aid classes in rural communities. We worked with rescue squads. We helped with training programs, including water rescue and kayak rescue operations on the Tuckasegee River,鈥� Dull said.

鈥淐ommunity service was simply part of what we did鈥�That experience stayed with me throughout my life.鈥�

When Dull was about to graduate with his degree in industrial technology, he was encouraged by former professor Barbara Lawson to stay an additional year and complete the remaining clinical and program requirements to earn his degree in EMC as well, and he agreed.

After graduating, Dull worked as a paramedic on an ambulance in Iredell County. He was there for two years, until leadership recommended Dull use his degree to take on new responsibilities.

When the role of Surry County Emergency Management director and fire marshal became vacant, Dull was offered the position and earned new certifications related to fire investigation and emergency management.

鈥淢y EMS education gave me the management background needed for the role, and my firefighting experience allowed me to pursue certifications as a fire investigator,鈥� Dull said. 鈥淚 accepted the position and spent three years there.鈥�

But the chemical industry was undergoing significant changes, and Dull was taking notice.

鈥淚ncidents such as the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India and related concerns in Institute, West Virginia, led to increased attention on industrial safety and environmental regulations,鈥� Dull said.

鈥淓ventually, I moved into industrial safety and began building environmental health and safety programs within the private sector.鈥�

Dull integrated the EMS principles he鈥檇 developed at 星空传媒 and Iredell County into his new work and introduced new questions to his contemporaries in the field.

鈥淲hy can鈥檛 we build emergency response programs inside chemical plants? Why shouldn鈥檛 industries have hazardous materials response teams? Why shouldn鈥檛 they have confined space rescue teams? Why shouldn鈥檛 they have medical response teams?鈥� Dull asked.

And that鈥檚 exactly how Dull decided to innovate, and in no time at all after developing these programs, he saw interest from surrounding communities, as in Burlington and Alamance County, to develop mutual-aid agreements to help with hazardous material incidents and rescue situations.

鈥淔or the first time, I was able to combine both worlds I loved鈥攊ndustrial safety and public safety鈥攚ithin a single career,鈥� Dull said.

The 星空传媒 alumnus founded his company EnviroSafe in 1994, and over three decades they鈥檝e been able to help public safety agencies, EMS organizations, universities, hospitals and private industries across the country and abroad.

They鈥檝e even worked with federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security.

Today, Dull鈥檚 company is in its second generation. His son recently became president, and they鈥檝e just this year crossed the 30-year threshold.

Despite stepping away from the operation he built, Dull continues to contribute his expertise through volunteering and advocacy work and emphasizes the profound value in service for students.

鈥淲hen you go to paramedic school,鈥� says alumnus Emily Marks 鈥�20, 鈥測ou鈥檙e asking for the privilege to help somebody on what could possibly be the worst day of their entire life, and you don鈥檛 want to be there because you have to be there, because that鈥檚 your job. You want to be there for them because that鈥檚 truly what you want to do.鈥�

Your patients feel the difference, Marks says, even thousands of feet up in the air.

Marks is a 2020 graduate of 星空传媒鈥檚 EMC program, and a flight paramedic with ECU East Care in coastal North Carolina.

The Cedar Fork native didn鈥檛 always dream of a career in emergency medicine. An English teacher and a lawyer were the options on the table when she鈥檇 begun at Carteret Community College.

Emily Marks 鈥�20

But, as inspiration tends to strike out of nowhere, a fateful sociology class project brought her face to face with the profession that would color her life.

鈥淲e could compare any two values that we wanted 鈥� we just had to correlate them. And for whatever reason, I ended up doing my project on the correlation between call volume and the month of the year for my local EMS agency. And they let me do a ride-along,鈥� Marks said.

鈥淎fter that first call, I was absolutely hooked鈥� and before I even left that night, I filled out volunteer paperwork and was signed up for my first year of health care."

Marks hit the ground running, studying by day and working by night, and by 2017, she鈥檇 completed her associate degree and passed the official state paramedic exam. Working in the field, she still desired more and weighed her options in higher education.

Friends and colleagues recommended 星空传媒鈥檚 EMC program, and when Marks saw she could take her courses online, she jumped at the opportunity and applied.

So began a journey that brought Marks to new and unimagined heights.

鈥淢y initial paramedic class built my foundations, and then I feel like Western did a really good job of building on top of that,鈥� Marks said. 鈥淚t definitely prepared me significantly for flight paramedicine.鈥�

By studying with 星空传媒, Marks was able to examine the lifesaving maneuvers she鈥檇 practiced in the field and improve upon them. She also had the chance to conduct meaningful research praised by scholars across the country.

At a summer meetup on campus, Marks鈥� professors encouraged her and her peers to come to them with any potential questions they鈥檇 like to spend time formally examining.

鈥淚 went up to my professor and I said, 鈥楬ey, I don鈥檛 know if this has been looked up before, but I鈥檓 really interested in what makes providers happy, what makes EMS workers satisfied,鈥欌�� Marks said.

鈥淭hat actually turned into a presentation at EMS World Expo in Las Vegas and got picked up by UCLA鈥檚 Prehospital Care Research Forum. I got to present with some of the top researchers in the country, which was intimidating, but also so much fun."

Marks had tapped a vein and presented her findings in 2020 before a massive online audience.

When time came for Marks鈥� graduation, she wrestled between two possibilities: pursuing further education to become a physician鈥檚 assistant or taking to the air.

Four years on from choosing the latter path, she still loves it; the work feels fulfilling and like a natural and exciting extension of the kind of paramedicine she first fell in love with. Responding to 911 scenes is only a fraction of the work she does over a 12-hour day.

鈥淚 went from, 鈥業 just got to get them to the hospital,鈥� to now, I have to take them from this hospital and get them to another hospital because they鈥檙e either so sick that they鈥檝e exhausted that original hospital鈥檚 capabilities and now they need a higher level of care, or it could be something as simple as they just needed to get back to a hospital where they already had established care for a prior illness,鈥� Marks described.

Marks understands that inside of her harrowing and fast-paced work, acting with compassion, holding a patient鈥檚 hand in the throes of discomfort, can make all the difference.

And that spirit of compassion is essential too for the health wellbeing of emergency medical professionals themselves.

鈥淔or those who have their heart in it and want to do this, I would tell (you) that there鈥檚 going to be times (you鈥檙e) frustrated. And there鈥檚 going to be times where (you) realize that there鈥檚 so much you don鈥檛 know, and it feels overwhelming. And some days you鈥檙e going to feel like you鈥檙e drinking from a fire hose,鈥� Marks said.

"But it is worth it, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You鈥檙e going to see a lot of bad stuff, but there鈥檚 also a lot of rewarding stuff that comes with it too.鈥�

That Marks can reflect on her lessons at 星空传媒 while looking over the sea from the passenger compartment of a helicopter is testament to the incredible possibilities that bloom for degreed paramedicine professionals.

鈥淚 most certainly would not be the paramedic I am today had it not been for Western and the education I got there and the foundation that they set.鈥�

In the summer of 2020, alumnus Nick Wall was working on the front lines of two crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and a record-breaking fire season.

鈥淭here was a lot of uncertainty, and there really wasn鈥檛 a playbook for how to deal with it. Being responsible for serving a community during that time was really impactful,鈥� Wall said.

Nick Wall 鈥�15

Today, Wall serves as a lieutenant and firefighter-paramedic at Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority near Aspen, Colorado, overseeing the station鈥檚 responses and encouraging the professional development of his colleagues.

When asked to reflect on his journey, Wall credits 星空传媒鈥檚 EMC program with preparing him for both the technical and emotional demands of the profession. He also expressed how glad he鈥檇 been to feel a sense of belonging early.

鈥淚 took an EMC class the first semester I was there, and that got me with like-minded students, many of whom later became my classmates in the program,鈥� Wall said. 鈥淲ith only about 30 students in each graduating class, it鈥檚 a pretty tight-knit community, and that made it really easy to build up a friend group and build up a community.鈥�

One of the classes that influenced Wall鈥檚 professional demeanor the most wasn鈥檛 a medical course at all, but a philosophy course comparing different cultures and religions鈥� understanding and attitudes toward suffering. Wall says it helped him examine his demeanor with patients more critically.

鈥淚 think it helped me develop the compassion to recognize that not everything I鈥檓 seeing, in terms of how someone reacts to a loved one in a serious medical situation, is based on what I grew up with,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t helps provide background for how people react to suffering, whether they鈥檙e more stoic or more emotional, and what type of emotional support they need in those moments.鈥�

His mentors also provided poignant examples of that attitude in action.

鈥淚n the program itself we had several emergency medical care professors. The most notable one was Dr. David Trigg, who demonstrated such compassion. His clinical effect is something that I admire to this day and try to emulate,鈥� Wall said.

鈥淗e always used to say that repeat patients aren鈥檛 鈥榝requent flyers.鈥� They鈥檙e 鈥榝riendly faces,鈥欌�� he continued. 鈥淚 still repeat that phrase over and over because it鈥檚 the right mindset. It鈥檚 about making that connection with the patient and with the family. Those are the calls you remember. Those are the ones you hold close.鈥�

After graduating, Wall moved to Colorado and began working at a rural county-based EMS service.

There he trained and volunteered more as a paramedic and as a firefighter. As planning section chief, he helped Grand County organize its pandemic response and served on different incident management teams for events like the East Troublesome Fire. And with a bit more experience under his belt, Wall decided to transition to working on the Front Range, an EMS service with a much higher call volume in a more urban environment.

The skillset he developed as a firefighter and paramedic in those years meant that in 2021, he was able to take on a new and exciting role as a ski patrol technician, providing advanced life support and performing rescues on Buttermilk Mountain, including during the Aspen X Games.

Now, Wall serves multiple communities as a lieutenant firefighter paramedic with the Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority. He鈥檚 not only managing his colleagues鈥� responses to crises and disasters but is encouraging their professional development and growth.

鈥淥ne of the really cool things about both the program and the profession is that you can go in so many different directions. Where you start isn鈥檛 necessarily where you鈥檒l end up,鈥� Wall said.

鈥淭he job will absolutely humble you. The moment you think you鈥檝e figured everything out, you鈥檒l get thrown a curveball you never could have anticipated. Don鈥檛 be afraid of those moments. Embrace them. Embrace the discomfort because that鈥檚 how you grow.鈥�

Whitney Penland is educating the next generation of paramedicine professionals as a full-time instructor at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

After graduating from high school, Penland enrolled at Gardner-Webb University with plans to study medicine, but left early, feeling uncertain if she wanted to spend the next 12 years of her life pursuing a doctoral education.

At that pivotal moment in her journey, a family member accidentally signed Penland up for a Tuesday night EMT class at A-B Tech. When she attended, she caught the bug immediately.

Still fresh out of high school, Penland got her license and jumped in an ambulance. She worked as a certified paramedic in Buncombe County for nearly a decade before choosing to return to school. She was able to enroll in 星空传媒鈥檚 online program in 2018 through an articulation agreement with A-B Tech.

Whitney Penland 鈥�20 MBA 鈥�24

Penland described how at 星空传媒, she was able to examine the lifesaving procedures she performed regularly in the field anew.

鈥淧aramedicine doesn鈥檛 really change. A two-year paramedic, a four-year paramedic, a master鈥檚 paramedic, even a doctoral paramedic, the actual job itself remains the same,鈥� Penland said.

鈥淏ut it was so incredible to have some of the why鈥檚 answered. You have this little package of emergency medicine that you鈥檝e been given, but then you鈥檙e told how we can put a bow on it.鈥�

But things changed quickly for Penland when she suffered a stroke in her first year of the program.

It was an eye-opening reversal, to be rolled into the emergency room she was hours ago delivering patients to.

The shock and confusion of that moment put her encounters with past patients in a new light, and revealed, in her mind, the discrepancy that will always exist between textbook knowledge and lived experience.

鈥淎nytime I can share both sides of the bed, I am more than happy to because it鈥檚 a wild world, knowing exactly what鈥檚 happening to you all the while not knowing anything that鈥檚 happening to you,鈥� Penland said.

鈥淚t really showed me that you can have all the textbook knowledge in the world, but sometimes patients don鈥檛 present in a way that matches what the textbook says, and you have to rely on judgment and experience.鈥�

Penland had to relearn a host of skills she鈥檇 once taken for granted, balancing her coursework beside her rehabilitation. Fortunately, she found great encouragement among her mentors.

鈥淭hey cared about me as a complete human,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ot just another student on the other side of the screen.鈥�

Penland views her story at 星空传媒 as 鈥渇ocused mainly on faculty who were full of grace, full of excellent knowledge to distribute, who worked with a student who literally lost their mind for six months, still pushing them to go forward and believing that even though I鈥檓 having to relearn how numbers work in my head, that I鈥檓 still able to have completed and finished this.鈥�

鈥淲ithout staff support, that definitely would not have been possible for me,鈥� Penland said.

鈥淚 had grace beyond understanding when I went through that, and I hope that I do the same with my students too. And that really is the big point as an instructor is support and encouragement.

鈥淗aving people who weren鈥檛 just there, but who helped me, that actually cared about me as a person, a complete human, and not just a student on the other side of the screen, meant everything,鈥� Penland said.

Penland went on to earn her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 in 星空传媒鈥檚 EMC program. She also met a tight-knit community of colleagues she keeps in contact with even now, including her best friend alumnus Emily Marks.

Today, Penland serves as a clinical coordinator and EMS educator at A-B Tech, overseeing students as they train in hospital and field environments. She鈥檚 also been accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill鈥檚 Doctor of Education program in Organizational Leadership and Learning, a new journey she hopes will better prepare her for yet more opportunities to improve the experiences of her students and colleagues, better defining the need for resilience and compassion amidst the physical and emotional taxation of the work.

鈥淚t truly is not like any other field that you can imagine. You鈥檙e trying to do everything to essentially stabilize a person that they normally would have a team in the emergency room and a controlled environment, and you鈥檙e doing it in this tiny little box with very limited resources.

鈥淥ne of my biggest wants and hopes for at least my position, wherever I am, is to let students know that they always have a lifeline,鈥� Penland said.

Things will go wrong, and experiences will push the envelope and make you question your choices and your career. But in Penland鈥檚 classroom, those questions are encouraged, and they鈥檙e answered with a smile and a promise that they can do whatever they set their minds to.