By EMS1 Staff
JACKSON, Mich. — In an effort to address a paramedic shortage, the state is offering incentives to students to enroll in a training program at a Michigan college.
Through a partnership between the state of Michigan and the Regional Medical Control Authority network, paramedic students at Jackson College are eligible for a $15,000 scholarship, reported WILX.
“There are just not as many people as we used to see going through paramedic programs. It’s a national issue,” Michelle Harper, manager of operations, Tri-County Emergency Medical Control Authority told WILX. “The hope is that by putting some funds back into the system for scholarships it may help bolster students coming into the field.”
The state-funded scholarship is one of several attempts to address the paramedic shortage in Mid-Michigan. In May, a local ambulance service began offering free training to fill the hole.
Mobile Medical Response of Saginaw was reportedly down 30 paramedics at the time, reported WNEM. After becoming an EMT, MMR was subsidizing paramedic certification for potential employees.
MMR’s accelerated EMT-to-paramedic training program was nominated for the 2017 Michigan Works Association Impact Award.
“The lack of paramedics poses a significant health risk to citizens across our local communities, around the state and nation,” said Steve Myers, MMR’s director of patient access.