
2021 Paramedic Competition Finals to be held at EMS Expo!
The Office of Emergency Medical Services, North Carolina College of Emergency Physicians, and North Carolina Association of EMS Curriculum Educators will conduct the 30th Annual Paramedic Competition on May 16, 2021 at the Four Seasons Convention Center in Greensboro, NC. The winning teams from 5 regional preliminary sites will compete against the 2019 defending champions.
*Due to Covid-19 there will be no 2020 champion
Overview of the NC Paramedic Competition
The North Carolina Paramedic Competition has been challenging participants since 1991. Every year two-person paramedic teams compete at 5 regional preliminary sites across the state with the winners earning the opportunity to advance to the finals held at the NCOEMS annual EM Today Conference. Teams are graded on professionalism, didactic knowledge and their clinical management as they face realistic scenarios, environments and simulations within a set time limit. The competition gives teams the opportunity to represent their agency on a statewide platform, and their hours of training improve the quality of patient care provided in their communities, benefiting the citizens and guests of North Carolina.
How it Works/Rules
Two person teams are registered by a North Carolina paramedic provider agency and compete in the preliminary competition. All entrants must be currently credentialed as a North Carolina paramedic and must remain affiliated with the agency which submitted their registration.
At the Preliminary Competition site teams are judged and scored in three categories: a practical scenario, a short written examination, and professionalism. Standing orders are assumed for all treatments for the scenario. The lead Judge will answer questions during the scenario, but will only confirm requested orders even though the requested order may be incorrect.
Judging criteria for the competition include the NC Medical Board Approved EMS Skills/Medications, PALS/PEPP Standards, US DOT NHTSA National EMS Education Standards, ACLS Standards, NC Critical Care Curriculum, BCLS Standards, NC OSHA Standards, ITLS/PHTLS Standards, and 2012 NCCEP Standards for Medical Oversight and Data Collection.
Teams receiving the highest cumulative score at each of the five preliminary sites will advance to the finals along with the returning state champions from the previous year. The finals are held at the EM Today Conference in Greensboro, NC. The public is invited to attend the final competition.
Paramedic Competition Judges
The North Carolina Paramedic Competition prides itself on the expertise of its judging staff. All of our judges have been involved with the competition for many years, some since the very first competition in 1991.

Karin L. H. Collom, Med, RN, EMTP

Alonzo W. Smith, Sr.
About Karin
Karin moved to South Carolina and finished her associate degree in nursing, BS in Health Education from USC, Paramedic Certification and her Masters in Education from Furman. Karin’s love of pre-hospital emergency medicine and ER nursing led to a career as an RN in the ER at GHS and teaching paramedic programs for the State of SC.
It would be many years later that she would meet her husband, Matthew, at the South Carolina EMS Today conference while lecturing on Pediatric Emergencies. In the following years, Karin had the privilege of winning the SC Paramedic Competition (defeating the champion team of Rusty Hollingsworth) and was awarded National Paramedic Educator of the Year.
Karin has been the NC Paramedic Competition lead judge dating back to the very first event in 1991.
About Alonzo
Al has been a NC Paramedic Competition Judge dating back to the very first event in 1991.

Rusty Hollingsworth, NRP

Donna Ownby, RN, EMTP
About Rusty
Rusty has been a NC Paramedic Competition Judge since 2000.
About Donna
Donna got her start in emergency medical services (EMS) in 1982 as a Basic Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She did not remain a basic EMT for very long as she received her Paramedic certification in 1983.In addition to being a Paramedic, Donna obtained an Associates Degree in Nursing in 1993. For the next 25 years she worked as a Paramedic and an emergency room nurse. In 2009 she gave up the second career of nursing to dedicate all of her time and resources to being Director of Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services where she remains today.
Donna has been a NC Paramedic Competition Judge since 2001.
Paramedic Competition Medical Advisors
At the core of our competition has always been a dedicated physician Medical Advisor. Physician input is imperative to assure that clinical presentations are complex, realistic and accurate.

Roy L. Alson, MD, PhD
1991-2005
Jason Stopyra, MD
2005-2016
Bryan B. Kitch, MD, FAEMS
2016-PresentAbout Roy
Dr. Roy Alson is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest University and Medical Director for Forsyth County EMS. He was the initial Medical Advisor for the Competition and along with Ron Lewis and a number of evil minded EMS personnel, developed the scenarios for the competition from its inception until he stepped down after 15 years of participation.
About Jason
In 2013, I accepted an academic position with Wake Forest Baptist Health with a concentration in Emergency Medical Services. Shortly after this, I was honored to accept the position of EMS Medical Director for an additional county service. As a Board-Certified EMS Physician, I look forward to continuing to advance the care that paramedics provide their communities both during emergencies and in disease prevention.
Dr. Stopyra was the Medical Advisor for the NC Paramedic Competition from 2005 until 2016.
About Bryan
Dr. Kitch has been the NC Paramedic Competition Medical Advisor since 2016.
Previous State Champions
1991
Billy Haynes
Kirk Killon
1992
Kathy Valone
Warren Swanson
1993
Monica Barrett
Mike Willis
1994
Daren Ziglar
Robert Bednar
1995
Daren Ziglar
James Smith
1996
Michael Dixon
Phil Ricks
1997
Tommy Courtner
Terry Handy
1998
Robert Coleson
Sean Gibson
1999
Sean Gibson
Robert Coleson
2000
Kelly Kirk
Shane Wilkins
2001
Anthony Davis
Richard Stump
2002
Shane Lisenby
Austin Nabet
2003
Shane Lisenby
Austin Nabet
2004
Tim Black
Mike Maher
2005
Fred Lawson
Scott Brown
2006
Austin Nabet
Shane Lisenby
2007
Scott Brown
Fred Lawson
2008
Scott Brown
Fred Lawson
2009
Roger Horton
Barry McMillian
2010
Roger Horton
Barry McMillian
2011
Mark Kirk
Jeffrey Penninger
2012
Michael Herbert
Chris Watford
2013
Michael Herbert
Chris Watford
2014
Aaron Thurston
Daniel Medina
2015
Roger Horton
Barry McMillian
2016
Jose Butron
Josh LeCrone
2017
Daniel Medina
Aaron Thurston
2018
Roger Horton
Barry McMillian
2019
Mecklenburg EMS Agency
Michael Dudkowski
John Stroup III
2020
2021
2022
Competition Partners
The North Carolina Office of EMS would like to recognize the following for their dedication and commitment to our competition.
Gaston Community College
Surry Community College
Wake Technical Community College
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Cape Fear Community College
Guilford Technical Community College
Guilford County EMS
WakeMed Center for Innovative Learning