INJURIES
INJURIES TODAY WERE REPORTED TO BE 4@LIFE-THREATENING. >> NEW RESEARCH TONIGHT 4@SHOWS
THAT SOUTH CAROLINA STRUGGLING
TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN 4@EMERGEN
MEDICAL SERVICE WORKERS.
THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMS
ASSOCIATION SAID SOME TRAINING
PROGRAMS ARE SEVERELY 4@UNDER
ENROLLED.
IN ADDITION, THEY SAY THAT
THOSE THAT DO 4@GRADUATE ARE ON
STAYING IN THE FIELD FOR ABOUT
EIGHT YEARS.
THEY TELL US, SEVERAL FACTORS
MADE TO BLAME INCLUDING LONG
HOURS 4@AND POOR WORKING
CONDITIONS.
>> CURRENTLY, LEXINGTON COUNTY
IS FACING AN ISSUE WITH HIRING
PARAMEDICS PRINCIPE JENNIFER'S @
ENOUGH SPOKE TO THE STATE
ASSOCIATION AND LEXINGTON EMS
ABOUT HOW THEY PLAN TO ADDRESS
THE PROBLEM.4@
>> IF NOT TODAY, BUT IT'S NOT
VERY FAR OFF AT ALL.
>>4@ THAT IS THE MESSAGE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES 4@
AROUND THE STATE ARE SAYING AS
THEY TRY TO 4@RECRUIT MORE
EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS
AND PARAMEDIC WORKERS TO COMBAT
A POSSIBLE FUTURE SHORTAGE.4@
>> THE CULTURE OF EMS IS THAT
THE HARDSHIP.
>> SOUTH CAROLINA EMS
ASSOCI4@ATION PRESIDENT HENRY
LEWIS AT THE STATE IS OKAY
RIGHT NOW.
>> APPARENTLY EMS IS A CALLING
AS MUCH AS 4@4@4@IS IS A PROFES.
LAW ENFORCEMENT OR FIRE IS NOT
A JOB, THAT JUST ANYBODY CAN
DO.
>> HAS CONCERNS ON THE CURRENT
RECRUITMENT STRATEGY.
>> WE ARE NOT REALLY GETTING
THE MESSAGE OUT THERE AND WE
ARE NOT REACHING SOME OF THE
YOUNG FOLKS AND TELLING THEM
WHAT WE ACTUALLY DO AND WHAT A
CAREER IN EMS COULD MEAN FOR
THEM PREVIOUSLY IN LEXINGTON
COUNTY EMS CHIEF.
[NAME] WHO WAS AN EMT 4@
INSTRUCTOR SAYS THEY WERE
EXPERIENCING A PARAMEDIC
SHORTAGE RIGHT NOW.
BUT IN ORDER TO BE A 4@PARAMEDI
YOU HAVE4@ TO BE AN EMT FIRST
WHICH IS AN ENTRY-LEVEL
POSITION CAUSING A DOMINO
EFFECT WITHIN THE INDUSTRY.
>> IT IS VERY VERY 4@DIFFICULT
HIRE PARAMEDICS IN THE 4@4@
INDUSTRY, CERTAINLY NOT 4@JUST
HERE AT LEXINGTON, JUST AS AN
EXAMPLE OF THE STATISTICS THAT
ARE AVAILABLE, THE STATE OF
SOUTH CAROLINA PRODUCED 113 NEW
PARAMEDICS WITHIN THE 4@STATE.
THAT SAME YEAR, OVER THE COURSE
OF 12 MONTHS, THE STATE 4@4@4@L
200 PARAMEDICS.
>> HE SAYS THE INDUSTRY AS A
WHOLE STRUGGLES FOR RECRUITMENT
AND COMPENSATION.
BUT HOPES THESE IDEAS WILL TURN
IT AROUND.
>> WE NEED TO 4@BE EXPLORED GRA
PROGRAMS AT THE STATE LEVEL TO
AUGMENT THE STUDENTS ABILITY TO
GO TO CLASS AND YOU KNOW, TO
HAVE AGAIN SOME OF THAT
FINANCIAL TUITION 4@COVERED BY
THE STATE.
>> 4@THOSE NOT CONCERNED CITIZE
BUT DO WANT TO BE PROACTIVE IN
BRINGING AWARENESS TO THEIR
FIELD.
>> WE ALL TAKE THE APPROACH TO
LOOK AT OUR CULTURE TO LOOK AT @
HOW WE DO THINGS AT EMS, TO
LOOK AT HOW RECRUIT YOUNG 4@
PEOPLE AND 10 YEARS DOWN THE
ROAD, WE MAY HAVE A DIFFERENT
STORY.
>> IN LEXINGTON COUNTY, 4@[NAME
NEWS 19 WLTX.
>> THE CITY OF4@ LYNCHBURG SAID
4@IN THE STATE WE 4@HAVE 15
TRAINING 4@4@PROGRAMS, NINE AT
TECHNICAL COLLEGES AND SIX AT
EMS TRAINING CENTERS P.
>> THOSE NUMBERS TONIGHT SHOW
THAT 14 TECH COLLEGES AND
REGIONAL EMT TR4@AINING 4@CENTE
EXCEPT BASIC EMT STUDENTS IN
THE 2017/20 18TH ACADEMIC YEAR
MINISTRY COLLECTIVELY THE
PROGRAMS TO SEE MORE THAN A
THOUSAND APPLICATIONS FROM
STUDENTS AND OF THOSE
APPLICATIONS ONLY 964 MET ALL
THE PROGRAM 4@REQUIREMENTS THAT
WERE ADMITTED INTO THE PROGRAM.
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF GRADUATES
AT THE SCHOOL, THE ACADEMIC
YEAR 4@4@WAS 807. AS ENTRY-LEVE
PARAMEDIC PROGRAM 4@SCHOOL, SIX
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS WERE
ACTIVE.
IN 4@2017, FOUR OF THEM WERE IN
REGIONAL TRAINING CENTERS, TWO
IN TECH COLLEGES, FOR ASSOCIATE
DEGREE PROGRAMS WERE ALSO
ACCEPTING PARAMEDIC STUDENTS IN
THAT SAME YEAR.
>> ACROSS ALL 10 PROGRAMS
ACCEPTING NEW PARAMEDIC 4@
STUDENTS, IN THAT ACADEMIC
YEAR, THE TOTAL REPORTED
CAPACITY FOR THE NEW STUDENTS
THAT 4@YEAR WAS 393, ONLY 244
STUDENTS APPLIED TO THE
PROGRAM.
THOSE 236 APPLICANTS WERE FULLY
STUDENTS APPLIED TO THE PROGRAM. THOSE 236 APPLICANTS WERE FULLY@
QUALIFIED AND ADMITTED INTO A 4@
PROGRAM.
THE TOTAL OF 162 STUDENTS
GRADUATED FROM A PARAMEDIC
PROGRAM