Three EMTs are currently being sponsored to become paramedics.
The program has spots for 10 students and tuition for each would normally be more than $800, he said. Lehigh Valley Health Network Emergency Medical Service is recruiting students for a new program it hopes will help it ease the shortage of emergency medical technicians, or EMTs.
The program, being held at the LVHN-Hazelton location, hires students to train for the four months it takes to become an EMT, said Dennis P. Ganc Jr., general manager of the health network’s emergency medical service.
After sitting for clinical and written exams, students get a boost in salary and work with seasoned EMT’s and paramedics to be sure they are prepared to go from the classroom to the street.
“We had an accelerated EMS program, but starting in September, we are offering a normal length program,” Ganc said.
According to the Bureau of Emergency Medical Service’s 2019 Data Report, the latest information available, 2,921 EMT certifications expired. Sixty-three percent were under the age of 40 and 41% were under 30.
“This information is important to monitor … to allow for targeted retention strategies to be implemented at the state, regional and local levels,” the report said. “Those who hold EMT certification are the pipeline for paramedics.”
During 2019, Lehigh County lost 59 EMTs and Northampton County lost 54, the report said.
Samuel Kennedy, spokesman for St. Luke’s Health Network, said “Yes, there is a shortage nationwide, and it is experienced locally too. We recruit year-round.”
St. Luke’s uses signing bonuses, and promotes the diverse long-term benefits of working for a large integrated network, such as access to continuing education and career development, to attract EMTs.
“For example, an EMT could enroll at the St. Luke’s School of Nursing,” Kennedy said. “That’s just one of many potential career paths.”
Ganc said LVHNEMS is looking for people to work for them and grow their careers by becoming paramedics, even nurses.
The program is run through the Emergency Medical Institute in Allentown.
While the healthcare worker shortage is often attributed to pandemic burnout, Ganc said the shortage of EMT’s is also due to a reduction in volunteerism.
“In our area, we used to have a large number of volunteer firefighters and EMT’s,” he said. “We have lost ambulance services in our area because the volunteers just aren’t there. The workforce is different and people aren’t available, so we are trying to hire people.”
The ambulance service that closed are Westerly, West Hazelton and Nuremburg.
The job also has a high turnover rate.
“They work in unknown conditions,” Ganc said. “It takes a person who wants to help people.”
To retain employees, LVHNEMS sponsors workers who want to continue their education. Students will train and make up the rest of their 40 hours doing medical transport for the hospital. “They get all the benefits that all full-time employees get.”
“Our recruiting efforts were great but we needed more (EMTs). We’ve gotten good reviews so far from people we’ve talked to,” he said.
The deadline to apply is August 5.