Sanford’s Paramedic Apprenticeship looks to break barriers

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) -Have you ever dreamed of saving lives by becoming a paramedic? Sanford Ambulance is now offering a unique opportunity for five people to participate in its paramedic apprenticeship.

Those accepted into the program will earn wages and benefits from Sanford Health while participating. The apprenticeship will also cover the cost of books, tuition, and uniforms needed to complete the nationally registered paramedic program at North Dakota State College of Science.

Apprentices must be 18 years or older and must be able to meet Sanford Health employee requirements. The program is looking for individuals with 24 college credits, customer service experience, and a passion for being in the EMS industry. Upon completion, the individuals are employed as a paramedic for three years.

Sanford Ambulance officials say recruiting medical personnel for ambulance services has been challenging.

“I think it’s just difficult for everybody to recruit nowadays. There’s just a smaller and smaller pool of people to recruit from and we’re all trying to recruit from that same pool. For us, it’s to eliminate as many barriers to come into our field as we can. Maybe you are already working in a career and you can’t quit that career to come work for us if you can’t take a whole year off to go to school,” said Ron Lawler, director of education for Sanford Ambulance

The application deadline is May 12. Interested applicants can apply here.