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Bill would fund ‘earn-while-you-learn’ EMT slots; Mayo Clinic pilot cited as model
Summary
Senate File 11-32 proposes a grant program to pay trainees a livable wage while they train to become EMTs; witnesses described a Mayo Clinic pilot that hired trainees, paid wages while they trained, and produced new EMT hires.
Senate File 11-32, carried by Senator Hoffman, would establish an "earn-while-you-learn" grant program, administered by the Office of Emergency Medical Services, to subsidize wages and training costs for employees during EMT coursework.
Under the proposal, ambulance services that use EMTs for at least 50 percent of staffing would be eligible. Grant dollars may cover wages and benefits (testimony specified wages not to exceed $26 per hour), tuition for EMT programs, fees for background checks and the EMT exam. The bill's stated goal is to create employment and training opportunities for 100 individuals annually.
Tom Fennell, regulatory officer for Mayo Clinic Ambulance, testified about a local pilot program in which the service recruited working adults, hired them, paid a livable wage during training and compressed EMT coursework into an intensive schedule. Mayo Clinic Ambulance reported 43 applications for an initial cohort, took 10 into training, and had eight candidates complete national registration and join the service as rostered EMTs.
Senator Hoffman said the pilot showed community interest and argued the approach could be effective statewide. Committee members noted the program requires funding and that a fiscal note would be necessary should the bill move forward; the chair said the bill would be laid over for possible consideration.
The committee laid Senate File 11-32 over for possible consideration.
