By Steven Mayer
The Bakersfield Californian
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — It was 2007 when Armando Lazaro started as a student at Hall Ambulance’s EMT Academy.
“I came with no medical experience,” Lazaro said. “But the training was great. The class was well put together.”
And Hall paid him to learn to become an emergency medical technician — and guaranteed him a job when the course was completed.
Nearly 17 years later, Lazaro has risen through the ranks. He’s a licensed paramedic and works as an operations manager at Hall.
“I fell in love with it,” he said of working as a first responder.
It’s fast-paced and you have to learn to think on your feet, he said. While some days are tough, other days are incredibly rewarding.
Recruitment has begun again for Hall’s next generation of emergency medical services workers. According to Hall, the zero-cost paid training program prepares individuals to become licensed emergency medical technicians in about 10 weeks.
Upon successful completion, they are guaranteed job placement with Hall Ambulance, where they will respond to emergency and non-emergency requests for medical aid.
Graduates of the academy start at $43,825 per year, Hall said in a news release.
Founded in 2001, the Hall EMT Academy is not a school but an accelerated pathway to starting a career at Hall Ambulance as an emergency medical technician.
Training occurs at the Harvey L. Hall EMS Academy, a training facility in Bakersfield. Weekly lectures are supplemented with hands-on skills, assessment training, quizzes and exams covering CPR, anatomy/physiology, airway management/ventilation and assessment, respiratory and cardiac, trauma and more.
The academy is “a satellite site of the Bakersfield College EMS programs,” said Mark Corum, Hall’s director of media services.
“Training is full-time and lasts 10 weeks total, preparing them to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam,” he said.
Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations requires EMT courses to take no less than 170 hours, Corum said. The Hall EMT Academy is 180 hours, with field training lasting another six to eight weeks.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, a valid driver’s license and a driving record insurable by Hall Ambulance’s insurance provider.
Applicants must be available and willing to work all assigned shifts (nights and weekends included) and be able to lift objects weighing up to 75 pounds.
“In the past few years, the Hall EMT Academy has received 400 to 500 applications per recruitment, ending up with a class size of 12 to 18 students — or a hiring rate of 3% to 4%,” Corum said in an email.
“Why is that number so low? While we are screening for individuals we believe will become successful EMTs with the mental fortitude to care for people during a medical emergency, unfortunately, most applicants cannot pass the basic skills assessment, which includes reading, writing, arithmetic, comprehension and reasoning,” he said.
“Others have difficulty with the pre-employment physical or do poorly with the interview process.”
But others, like Heather Lee, sail through the process.
On Wednesday, Lee was celebrating her 18th year at Hall, or what she called her “Hall-i-versity.”
Lee went through the program and, like Lazaro, was later sponsored by Hall to enroll in the paramedic program.
She has since been promoted several times.
“I feel so lucky to be invited into this process with the company,” she said.
For details, go to hallambcareers.com/emtacademy. The last day to apply is July 14.
Reporter Steven Mayer can be reached at 661-395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.
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