BEAUMONT, Texas — Acadian Ambulance Service is on a mission to recruit more Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals in Southeast Texas.
The entire state of Texas has seen a dramatic decline in the number of licensed EMS workers, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The National Center for Health Workforce says by 2030, the nation will need more than 40,000 certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT).
Acadian Ambulance Service wants to get ahead of this by offering medical training classes for free and a job upon completion.
The first step to becoming a certified paramedic is to take Emergency Care Attendant (ECA) classes.
In this class, trainees will learn basic medical skills, but spend most of their time driving the ambulance.
The class lasts seven days and students will get paid $11 an hour to learn.
After the course, students will become eligible to become an EMT, which involves a higher level medical training.
Casey Sullivan-Flood first started training to be an EMT in high school doing ride alongs and is now a critical care paramedic and recruiter.
She says she still uses the skills she learned in the ECA class.
"Basic like airway maneuvers using a bag valve mask to deliver respirations. You're going to learn how to take blood pressures. You're going to learn to to take a pulse, take a respiratory rate. Bandaging a wound and splitting things like that," she said.
You must be over 18, have a valid driver's license and pass a background check in order to qualify for these classes.
Classes are only free to those who agree to work for Acadian Ambulance Service after completion.
The next ECA class begin on May 1, 2023 and all applicants must be approved by April 14, 2023.
Audrey Scott, 21, is in the program now but tried different career paths and realized they weren't meant for her.
"I found out that they were doing this program here. that this was a great way to get your foot in the door, get started and that they were going to pay me to do it, so I took that opportunity," she said.
Scott sees this as the perfect way to get her foot in the door of the medical field.
"Maybe a few years down the road I could see myself trying to do flight medic or anything like that. I mean the possibilities are endless and that's why i'm here," Scott said.
The recruits are needed to meet the demand.
"We're covering al of the calls that is in our budget, that we have the trucks for, that we have the employees for and our people are working so hard," Sullivan-Flood said.
Sullivan-Flood says last week she was told they were doing about 18% more calls than they are budgeted for.
"So what this is giving us the ability to do is take it a little easier on our employees, get all these calls done and you know be able to service more people," she said.