FAYETTE COUNTY, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – Jan-Care Ambulance, West Virginia’s largest emergency medical services (EMS) provider, is looking to offer Fayette County residents the opportunity to earn their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification through a fast track training academy.
Jan-Care Director of Operations Paul Seamann stated that Jan-Care provides EMS training at a level that is consistent with most major colleges in the state.
Currently, Jan-Care offers a traditional form of training where individuals are taught to be emergency medical vehicle operators and receive their EMT training while being employed by Jan-Care. According to Seamann, this training, 70 percent of which is online, takes roughly two months to complete.
Jan-Care has been training individuals through this program for years but the growing need for EMTs led the company to seek alternative and faster training methods.
“Fayette County is a county that really needs EMTs,” Seamann shared. “It is such a broad county geographically that we really need ambulances in each of the corners of the county to be able to service the citizens. We need as many people interested as possible.”
Todd Cornett, Vice President of Jan-Care, announced to Fayette County Commission members on Friday that the company is looking to begin implementing a fast-track, academy-like training, which can be completed in half the time of the traditional training.
Unlike the traditional training method, this second form of training would require more in-person learning.
Seamann says individuals would come to a Jan-Care site to receive instruction for eight hours Monday through Friday and, after four weeks, they would be fully functioning EMTs.
“These EMT academies are newer to the state, but we have done them in the past and are looking to utilize this type of system to increase the number of trained EMTs within the area,” he explained. “We are looking for people who have an interest in getting into the medical field and serving their community. We provide the training to allow them to succeed.”
If implemented, the training will be open to anyone looking to enter the medical field, specifically those who are interested in working for Jan-Care. The only requirements to enter the program are a high school diploma or GED, the ability to pass a drug screening and some knowledge of computers due to the recent technological advancements made in most ambulances.
Those accepted into the program will go through an orientation process and are likely to receive an offer of employment from Jan-Care after receiving their certification.
As far as the financial aspect of the training, Seamann says that each individual’s case is different, as there are various grants, loans, scholarships and other arrangements that can be made depending on the student’s status. One arrangement even includes waiving a student’s tuition in exchange for them working for Jan-Care for a predetermined amount of time.
Seamann noted that this new training will be perfect for those who are looking to serve Fayette County, stating that it gives people the opportunity to stay at home and help those they have known all their lives while being “productive and necessary members of the community.”
To help ensure a future filled with EMTs, Jan-Care also offers training specifically for high school students through the Fayette Institute of Technology. Through this program, high school juniors and seniors can earn their EMT certification and receive training before they even graduate.
Seamann says through these various avenues, Jan-Care hopes to supply the EMTs Fayette County needs.
“We are always looking for high-quality employees, and we feel that we are really unique in the amount of time, energy and commitment that we have to bring people into the medical field. We just want to be able to go through Fayette County and make sure that we have the coverage we need to carry out our 911 duties.”