SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — American Medical Response held its “earn-to-learn” graduation on Aug. 29 in Springfield, welcoming new EMTs from a wide range of backgrounds.
One graduate’s former career path stood out. Class valedictorian Marlon Archer is trading the circus arena for the ambulance, Western Mass News reported.
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“I hold people in handstands right here,” Archer said. “I throw them in the air and catch them. We do various dance lifts and tricks of all kinds.”
His previous career regularly involved falls and injuries, giving him practical exposure to health and injury management. It had been his life’s work, but he began balancing that career with a growing desire to serve. AMR Springfield’s earn-to-learn program, paying applicants while they train, gave him a clear path to make the switch.
“I wanted something where I could wake up in the morning and feel like the work was necessary, that it was really going to serve my community, that it was gonna help the people around me,” Archer said.
The program lets candidates with partial certifications earn $71,966 while completing paramedic training, as Dearborn works to hire 16 firefighters and raise staffing to its highest level in 119 years amid a statewide paramedic shortage
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