LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A Lancaster County EMS agency is building the next generation of EMTs in a unique way in order to address a worker shortage impacting first responders across the country.
Monday was the first day of a new semester for students in Lancaster EMS’s “EMT Academy.”
Jayden Perez, 19, of Millersville has a goal.
“To be somebody’s superhero,” said Perez.
That’s why he enrolled in the EMT Academy, which is a “pay to learn” program.
“I love helping people, I’ve always loved helping people so what’s a better job than to be an EMT?” said Perez.
Jayden is one of 12 students in this semester’s class.
“It’s a three-month process, 14 weeks of sitting in a classroom 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week,” explained Richard Canard, the primary instructor for the EMT Academy.
Lancaster EMS has run the academy twice a year since the fall of 2021, in an effort to address the worker shortage so many agencies are combatting.
“We found we were having difficulty recruiting new employees as EMTs because of the fall-off in people signing up for EMT programs,” said Canard.
Students earn $16/hour to take the class.
When students enter the academy, they also sign a contract which commits them to working for Lancaster EMS for two years, after they graduate and receive certification.
They will also get a pay bump once they start working.
“You’re going to be meeting people on their worst days and [you] get to make a change,” said Perez.
Canard says the program is already proving successful and is giving Lancaster EMS a much-needed pipeline of EMTs.
“It gives us a chance to get to know them and actually develop those EMTs how we think EMTs should be in the state of Pennsylvania,” he said.
To apply for the EMT Academy, you must be 18 years old, have a clean driving record, and have a high school diploma or GED. The interview process can take three to six months.