Roane State Community College

August 25, 2021

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Derrick Lowery, a paramedic with American Medical Response of Knox County and a former ski patroller in Colorado, has been named Roane State’s Paramedic Student of the Year.

Members of Lowery’s paramedic class at the community college’s Knox County Center for Health Sciences elected him in secret balloting.

“Derrick is one of those individuals that puts his head down and gets the job done,” said Roane State Paramedic Program Director David S. Blevins.

“Whether in the classroom, or in the field, he wants to make sure that he is ready for the next patient that he is called to help, and it doesn’t matter the circumstances, he looks to make sure he provides the care needed.”

“His passion for the profession is an outstanding quality and he will do great things,” Blevins added.

A framed photograph of Lowery will be on display for a year on the paramedic classroom wall. Then, that photo will become part of a collection of portraits of other paramedic students who have garnered the recognition over the years.

“It’s a great honor,” Lowery said of the award, bestowed during a recent luncheon. “There were so many great fellow paramedic students.”

He said he also took Roane State’s EMT and advanced EMT courses at Roane State’s Center for Health Sciences.

A Knox County resident, Lowery, 32, was a ski patroller at Winter Park Resort in Colorado for five years.

TEAMHealth, a hospital staffing firm based in Knoxville, has been a tremendous partner with Roane State and the paramedic program for more than 30 years, Blevins said.

As part of this partnership, the firm sponsors a luncheon for paramedic graduates who have completed the requirements for the technical certificate program, which takes a year to attain.

To learn more about Roane State’s EMT and paramedic programs, visit roanestate.edu/EMS or contact Blevins by phone at (865) 354-3000, ext. 4768, or email blevinsds@roanestate.edu.