BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK –– Park Ranger Cathy Buckingham was recently recognized by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians for achieving 20 consecutive years of national emergency medical services certification. This distinction is an honor held by very few EMS professionals.
To maintain her status as a nationally registered emergency medical technician (EMT), Buckingham completed, on a biennial basis, the most comprehensive recertification program for EMS professionals in America.
By maintaining her national EMS certification and completing regular continuing education courses, Buckingham has demonstrated her commitment to providing exceptional prehospital emergency medical care.
Buckingham was nationally registered as an EMT in 2003 and became an EMT-intermediate park medic in 2005. Buckingham has been serving the Big Bend community as an EMT-advanced park medic since 2020. Prior to Big Bend National Park, Buckingham has worked at Lava Beds NM, Yosemite NP, Petroglyph NM, Guadalupe Mountains NP, Great Basin NP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Independence NHP, Glacier NP, Everglades NP and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians serves as the national EMS certification organization by providing a valid, uniform process to assess the knowledge and skills required for competent practice by EMS professionals throughout their careers and by maintaining a registry of certification status.