| In our most recent EMS Trend Report, we found that the top concerns of EMS leaders were recruitment and retention of qualified, quality employees. From our work in emergency communications, fire and other public safety and healthcare sectors, it’s clear those same issues impact organizations across emergency services.
So I think it’s always fascinating to find organizations trying new ways to find the right people and keep them. I recently came across two articles that highlight some of those efforts.
Royal Ambulance, in northern California, was recently named one of Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work for 2018. On its website, Royal makes it clear what they’re looking for in EMTs: “Patient safety, courtesy, professionalism and efficiency are key to being an excellent EMT. At Royal, empathy is just as critical.”
Owensboro-Daviess County 911 in Kentucky recently began putting potential emergency telecommunicators through call-taking scenarios as part of the hiring process, before they’ve even received any training. According to the article, the HR director said “giving dispatch candidates an idea of what the job is like will help avoid hiring people who decide the job isn’t for them after going to the dispatcher academy and starting work.”
Both of these show examples of organizations striving to hire only the best people for the job and to increase employee engagement. We can learn from these lessons and continue to try new and innovative approaches to building a qualified, empathetic and resilient workforce throughout the emergency services professions. |
