Spring Lake Park’s Opportunities in Emergency Care Program offers the kind of hands-on training that gets students ready for college or work at Emergency Medical Technicians. It’s also the kind of training state lawmakers would like to replicate as many emergency workers leave the field.
“Recently the state EMS Board released data that 60 percent of the Emergency Medical Technicians certified in Minnesota, out of 20 plus thousand, stopped working on ambulances,” Buck McAlpin, a Lobbyist for the Minnesota Ambulance Association recently told a Minnesota Senate Hearing. “A very alarming number,” he said.
McAlpin testified in support of a bill to spend $2 million over two years to help schools offer courses in emergency medical services like the one at Spring Lake Park High School. The emergency worker shortage means opportunity for students.
“The last 3 years I’ve had a really high number of grads either in paramedic school right now or are already paramedics,” said Spring Lake Park Program Director Bill Neiss.
In the current class, there are more than 30 potential EMT’s who could go directly to work.
“I plan on working as an EMT in college and my end goal is to go to PA [physicians’ assistant] school and specialize in emergency medicine and I think that this program will set me up for that greatly,” said Senior Julia Hutton.
Health care workers came to talk with students recently about career paths after high school, whether it’s medical school, or working in emergency care right away with a fire department or ambulance service.
“I think there are endless possibilities. There are so many paths I can take it’s really exciting to think about,” said Hutton.
The students don’t seem worried about the difficult conditions that are causing others to leave emergency care. The demand for getting into the class is still increasing.
“I doubled from last year,” said Neiss. “What’s unique about us is we get students from Mounds View, Centennial, Irondale. We’ve drawn from all sorts of schools over the years, and so our numbers have doubled.”
Despite the difficult class work, there is only a strong desire to help.
“The kids that come through here, they want to change the world, they really do,” said Neiss. “They have a heart for people, and want to be part of the solution.”
Similar bills are being proposed in both Houses of the Minnesota Legislature, and may be included in a final education package.
