BANGOR, Maine — Maine's emergency medical services are in a "workforce crisis," according to the state's EMS Director.
To fill the needs of EMS services across the state, Northern Light Health has an accelerated EMT program to help get EMT students into the workforce.
The Northern Light Medical Transport and Emergency Care's "Work to Grow" seven-week program gives students the chance to learn both in the classroom and in the back of an ambulance alongside providers.
After completing the course, graduates can work at any Northern Light EMS location in the state.
"I think for us we found the greatest success to come from the fact that they're working with experienced providers throughout the whole process," Crystal Bagley, Northern Light's supervisor of education and training, said. "So if they have a question, whether it's on an exam or something out in the field, they can get real-time exposure and real-time answers."
The company's Associate Vice President of EMS Andrea McGraw said hiring EMTs has been a real problem in recent years after the company's EMS staffing dropped nearly 30 percent across all five of its divisions.
"It's been a problem that's been building but the pandemic really put a highlight on it," McGraw said. "Our shifts were skeleton crews, really. We were just kind of barely getting by."
But since starting this accelerated program in 2021, McGraw said nearly all EMT positions in the Northern Light system are filled.
"You're learning from a teacher one day in the classroom, and then you're on that same ambulance with them working alongside them," Aiden Rew, said.
Rew is a recent graduate of the program. He's one of 45 students so far to graduate from the program.
"Being able to actually be on a truck while going through class was a huge help," Rew said. "It's completely different reading from a textbook when you're actually in the back of an ambulance."