With Diversity Program, Acadian Works to Open Doors

Among the many challenges Acadian Ambulance has faced in the last year has been a nationwide EMT shortage that became more critical as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“We had to find a way to stop the bleeding and get more boots on the ground,” says Tameka Sumter, the company’s diversity and inclusion coordinator. “When we looked at the makeup of our company, there is one group that’s underrepresented, and that’s minorities.”

To mitigate that, Acadian earlier this year announced a partnership with the Louisiana NAACP to offer 40 full scholarships for EMT training in New Orleans and several other cities throughout the state.

Leaders hope the move will address not only Acadian’s shortage of EMTs and paramedics but the issue of workforce diversity in serving a diverse U.S. population.

“We’re not immune to that issue,” says Randall Mann, spokesperson for Acadian Companies. “We started looking at avenues to help us reach more people we haven’t been able to through our local communications.”

Acadian also has paired up with the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of Louisiana to help disseminate information about the job initiative. Similar efforts have been launched in the company’s San Antonio locale and are planned for its Mississippi and Tennessee locales.

The need to do so is significant. As reported in a February 2021 EMS World story, New Orleans EMS serves a diverse population that is 58% Black and 5% LGBTQ, but its EMS provider makeup is less diverse. The city is enacting numerous measures to change that.¹ In “Females and Minority Racial/Ethnic Groups Remain Underrepresented in Emergency Medical Services: A Ten-Year Assessment, 2008–2017,” findings indicate that compared to the U.S. population, females and racial/ethnic minorities are underrepresented among EMTs and paramedics earning initial certification.²

The proportion of new EMT certifications earned by females rose from 28% in 2008 to 35% in 2017. Throughout the study period, however, fewer than a quarter of newly certified paramedics were female.

Those identifying as Black remained near 5% among EMTs and 3% among paramedics. The proportion of newly certified Hispanic EMS professionals rose from 10% to 13% among EMTs and from 6% to 10% among paramedics.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of EMTs and paramedics is projected to grow by 6% from 2019 to 2029,³ faster than the average for all occupations, as car crashes, natural disasters, and acts of violence require EMS skills.

A Fresh Start on Life

Acadian’s 14-week training is a hybrid approach of two days of field work and three days of online, self-paced learning, with an average of a 20-hour time investment, notes Sumter. The approach helps students who are employed in other jobs and require time flexibility.

The scholarships—underwritten by Acadian—cover the approximate $2,000 cost of tuition and books, helping students who could not otherwise afford the training. Acadian also is helping those who do not have computers or Internet access by providing computers and working with other community groups to help out, says Sumter.

Acadian initiated the program in January. Forty-two people applied for scholarships, and after a vetting process, 18 individuals in New Orleans started their first class in April.

“We’re trying to train them, employ them, and then we hope they work with us, although they can work for any agency,” Sumter adds. “Our goal is to have 100% stay within our company.”

“We want to communicate that this is a great career field in high demand, not just with Acadian but across the nation,” says Mann. “You can get into it with a short amount of training and be working very soon.”

Sumter has noted that some of the students didn’t know being an EMT was a career option for them. Two had tried college, but it didn’t work out. They had no idea what was next for them in their lives.

“Some of these individuals are putting in a lot of effort because this is something they want to do—they’re excited and can have a kind of a fresh start on life,” says Sumter.

A Constant Churn

Acadian has an online application for those who want to pursue the program. Applicants attend an informational session and take an initial CPR training aptitude test to ascertain their suitability for an EMS career. Not all pass.

Many of those seeking scholarships are in their mid-20s and either out of work or seeking more meaningful careers, notes Mann.

“There’s a constant churn of EMTs. This is a calling that requires a lot of skill and caring,” Mann adds. “We look for those types of applicants.”

The classes are conducted by Acadian’s National EMS Academy. Upon graduating and passing the National Registry exam, successful candidates will become full-time EMTs. The average starting salary for an Acadian EMT is $35,000, while paramedics earn an average of $63,000 annually. Acadian offers a similar program for EMTs wishing to attend paramedic school.

The company is getting positive feedback from communities about the program.

“A lot of these small towns are hurting economically,” Mann points out. “When we talk to the mayors, fire chiefs, and police chiefs, they love that we’re offering their local citizens—no matter what color or creed—the chance to have a good-paying job in their communities. We’re able to put them to work in their hometowns and help those communities.”

One of the most significant benefits is breaking through language barriers, Mann notes of the employment of Hispanic EMTs.

Acadian also seeks to develop outreach programs to the LGBTQ community and any other groups of diversity “to help us communicate the message that EMS is a great career you can get into relatively quickly and make a decent living at,” says Mann.

“We believe this initiative is so much more than workforce development. This is an opportunity for caring individuals to enter a fulfilling and rewarding career in emergency medicine and care for their fellow citizens,” says Acadian Chair and CEO Richard Zuschlag. “We are grateful to partner with the NAACP to specifically reach out to the African American community to offer these scholarships.”

“The NAACP Louisiana State Conference is excited to partner with Acadian Ambulance to bring economic development, human development, and community development to all parts of Louisiana with the start of this great program,” says Dr. Michael McClanahan, president of the Louisiana NAACP State Conference. “People who are trained and gainfully employed are better able to care for themselves and their families. In doing so, they uplift their communities.”

Sumter notes that even with the assistance, the 14 weeks will be challenging for students, adding that if nothing else, some students will walk away with CPR certifications at no cost.

“We have a lot of resources put into place to guide them along the way,” she says. “It’s important to us to make our company look like the world we serve.

“I am a minority, and it gets me excited that we’re helping someone who may have not had another opportunity elsewhere. It’s very rewarding. As a company that nobody in the minority community really knew anything about, we’re opening doors a lot of people wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

References

1. Marino M. Improving Equity and Confronting Bias at New Orleans EMS. EMS World, 2021 Feb; 50(2): 14–15.

2. Crowe RP, Krebs W, Cash RE, at al. Females and Minority Racial/Ethnic Groups Remain Underrepresented in Emergency Medical Services: A Ten-Year Assessment, 2008–2017. Prehosp Emerg Care, 2020 Mar–Apr; 24(2): 180–7.

3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: EMTs and Paramedics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm.

Carol Brzozowski is a freelance journalist and former daily newspaper reporter based in South Florida. Her work has been published in more than 200 media outlets.