Augusta, GA (WJBF)- Currently, there is a crippling shortage in emergency services workers nationwide. Gold Gross EMS is working to fight it locally.
Right now, they are recruiting people interested in a career in emergency services. They are signing people up for Emergency Medical Responder classes.
Michael Meyers with Gold Cross said COVID has made recruitment difficult.
“At Gold Cross, we’re trying to make sure we can meet the demands of a changing COVID climate. COVID has caused there to be somewhat of a strain on our medical field, our medical world. So we’re doing everything we can to address it.”
EMR students will learn how to provide immediate life saving care to patients who call 911, both at the scene of the emergency and on the ride to the hospital. This is the first step for those who want to be a paramedic or an EMT.
Graduates of the EMR class can expect to start working right away making more than $30,000 a year.
“We are looking to immediately, once you finish class, hire you on to take a job in this field. It’s somewhat of a basic course that will get you the basic knowledge that you need to be able to respond to medical emergencies,” explained Meyers.
Classes begin Monday, November 1st. They run for three weeks and are free.
For anyone that is interested in taking these classes, call the Gold Cross Office at 706-434-4000. You can also email admin@goldcrossems.com to sign up or for more information.
Photojournalist: Reggie Mckie.