Steps any leader can take to improve recruitment and retention

Every EMS leader knows that the key to a successful operation is people. Without good people at every level—from the billing operation to fleet management to, of course, your EMS clinicians in the field—it’s hard to achieve success, even with the best equipment, policies and funding.

Last month, I enjoyed another week of learning from new friends and long-time collaborators at the Pinnacle EMS Leadership Forum. And the number one topic on many of their minds was how they can recruit the best employees, and then keep them. Several of our sessions featured innovative leaders talking about their efforts to find, nurture and retain quality clinicians and support staff.

This year’s recently released EMS Trend Report confirmed what I heard at Pinnacle — in a wide-ranging survey about the current and future states of our profession, recruitment and retention came up frequently. Read the report to get more insight into the opinions of EMS professionals on a number of issues. Inside, you’ll also find my column on steps any leader can take to improve recruitment and retention as well as other columns and interviews featuring some of today’s brightest EMS minds.

Best Regards,


Jay FitchPhD
Founding Partner, Fitch & Associates