Betsy Smith

Betsy brings 37 years of nursing experience, serving in diverse emergency and critical care roles. Her career began as an Emergency Department and Transport Nurse at Children’s National Medical Center, continued in the University of Virginia Emergency Department, and culminated with 19 years at PHI Air Medical as a Flight Nurse and Regional Clinical Educator until retirement. In addition to nursing, Betsy has been a Nationally Registered Paramedic for 35 years, serving in both suburban and rural EMS systems. For the past 16 years, she has volunteered and now works with Wintergreen Fire & Rescue, where she most recently focused on fostering and advancing the county’s Community Paramedicine program. Her dedication has been recognized with multiple honors, including two Virginia Regional EMS Awards — Outstanding Nurse in EMS and Outstanding Contribution to EMS for Children — as well as the Virginia Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to EMS for Children. An accomplished educator and presenter, Betsy has shared expertise at local, state, regional, and national conferences. She also co-authored the book Special Children’s Outreach Prehospital Education and has devoted her career to training prehospital and emergency department providers in the specialized care of ill and injured children, especially those with special needs or dependent on medical adjuncts.