EMT trainees Haleigh Platz (left) and Cristi Blomquist (right) practice immobilizing an injured leg with Henry Thoreson (center) serving as a patient. The trio are practicing emergency medical procedures that could be needed for the psychomotor exam on Saturday.

NEW ULM – Across the country, rural areas are struggling with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workforce shortages. Recently, New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC) began working with community partners to streamline the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training process.

As of last week, 30 EMT trainees completed their 160 hour course work at NUMC. Once this group of trainees complete the necessary exams to receive their certification, there will be 30 new trained EMTs in the region ready to apply for paid and volunteer positions. This class represents a significant spike in the number of new EMTs available in south central Minnesota.

The number of EMT certificates issued has been decreasing since 2018. Around the start of the COVID pandemic the certificates issues deceased further. At the same time the number of EMT certificates that have expired without renewal has risen.

NUMC decided to push back against this trend by creating an EMT scholarship program. The program will pay the full cost of EMT training for anyone registering for the program on the condition the graduates choose to work in south central Minnesota.

Typically, it can cost $1,700 to take EMT training. NUMC director of operations Carisa Buegler said through the scholarship NUMC hope to remove one barrier preventing new recruits from seeking an EMT license. The plan worked better anticipated.

“We had hoped to get at least 12 people registered, but 30 joined,” Buegler said.

The scholarships were covered by the Charlotte Anderson Trust. Anderson was a strong proponent of education and health, NUMC believed she would approve of using her trust to recruit more EMTs.

Buegler said the hope as this scholarship would remove a barrier from for those seeking an EMT license.

The higher number of people applying for EMT training showed there was interest but cost was a barrier for some. Another barrier proved to be location.

This was the first EMT training held at NUMC in decades. Buegler said no one could remember the last time this type of training was held locally. Previously, the nearest training course was held in Mankato. People on the western edge of Brown County had to travel almost an hour to take the class.

Most of the participants taking the EMT training were from New Ulm, but all the surrounding rural communities were represented in the class.

EMT trainee Alex Portner said he time and availability was one of the reasons he took the class. Portner currently works as a firefighter in Winthrop. Other members of this family have gone through EMT training, it was something he wanted to do but this program was the best opportunity.

“I’ve seen the need for EMTs,” he said. “You also learn a lot. The EMT training will help on the fire department.”

Portner explained that firefighters are often the first people on the scene. Having EMT experience would match well with his firefighter duty.

Portner has already served as a volunteer on Winthrops ambulance, but with an EMT license he help more.

The program also included trainees Haleigh Platz, Cristi Blomquist and Henry Thoreson, who plan to volunteer with the Lafayette Ambulance crew.

“I am super excited they had offered this,” Platz said. “The donations of covering the cost really takes the burden off the communities.”

Blomquist said she could never have taken the training course without the scholarship.

The Lafayette trio were passionate about keeping the Lafayette Ambulance staffed and that meant having enough people with the proper training.

“Without enough volunteers we will lose our ambulance,” Platz said. “Without an ambulance team they will need to rely on other communities. With so much farming in the area, I wouldn’t want to wait for a New Ulm ambulance to reach us.”

The EMT training course was offered by Southern Minnesota EMS Education with Tim Birkemeyer serving as instructor.

Birkemeyer said his business provides emergency medical training for whomever needs it. There are professional settings that request CPR training or EMT.

“I jumped at the chance to work with NUMC,” he said. He said there had not been an EMT course in New Ulm for a while and he wanted to be part of it. This class of 30 trainees is the largest EMT class he has taught in the five years since starting Southern Minnesota EMS Education.

Birkemeyer said it can be hard to find people who want to work in emergency medical. Some people find they can’t work in emergency medical, but many do it anyway.

“If we don’t do it, who will?” he asked. The consequences of the EMT shortage goes beyond healthcare, it can impact a communities budget. Birkemeyer said a rural ambulance department does not have enough volunteers to staff it, insurance costs could go up.

“Everyone wants ambulance services,” he said. “The question is, ‘who wants to do it?'”

It is one of the reasons the training courses are valuable. Birkemeyer said in his years working for EMS, he does not know how many lives he has saved.

“I usually think about how many lives my students have save,” he said.

During the last week of the NUMC’s EMT program, Birkemeyer had the trainees practice going through all the skills that could be on the psychomotor exam on Saturday. The exam presents simulated patients with realistic situation to test training abilities. All the students will take the psychomotor exam Saturday. Once completed they must take a multiple-choice cognitive exam at a later date. If they pass both tests, the become Nationally Registered EMTs and automatically get the Minnesota License. The license is good for two years, after which they will need a license renewal.

“We want to do this again,” Buegler said. The potentially 30 newly trained EMT workers is a benefit the community and they hope to repeat the success with another class.

The next EMT training class starts September at the Springfield Allina facility. Registry for this course is open. NUMC intends to provide scholarships again.