Minn. EMT Program for Low-Income Young Adults Graduates 17

April 26--When Ashlee Hutchinson-McGee told her St. Paul EMS Academy instructors last week she'd earned her national certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, tears streamed down her face.

The 23-year-old from St. Paul was overjoyed she'd reached her goal, but her father -- the person who'd encouraged her to become an EMT -- wasn't there to celebrate with her. He died of cancer two years ago.

Hutchinson-McGee and 16 others graduated Monday from the St. Paul EMS Academy. It's a program for low-income young adults who are St. Paul residents; the academy recruits women and people of color, who are typically underrepresented in emergency medicine and firefighting, according to the city. Becoming an EMT is a steppingstone to the St. Paul fire department because all of the city's firefighters are required to be EMT-certified.

St. Paul Fire Capt. Ken Adams, the department's EMS coordinator and the academy's lead instructor, witnessed Hutchinson-McGee's emotional response after she found out last week she was the first in her class to become a nationally-certified EMT.

"They come in at week 1 of the academy not knowing anyone and us not knowing them, but by week 14, it's almost like I'm the father of all of them," Adams said. "When they tell me they passed, I could not be more proud. It makes my heart happy to see them making a decision that literally will change their lives. ... For Ashlee, seeing her crying like that breaks my heart, but it also makes me so glad she fulfilled the dream her father had pushed her toward."

The St. Paul EMS Academy started five years ago and, with Monday's new graduates, has seen 212 people complete the program, Adams said. The academy is free and participants receive an hourly wage.

The academy is funded with grants and revenue from the fire department's Basic Life Support unit, an ambulance service that transfers people discharged from a medical facility to other care facilities or to their homes for a fee.

The 17 people who graduated Monday began their work in January. Another student who was part of the academy suffered a burst appendix last week and is expected to graduate after he recovers and takes the final test, Adams said.

Hutchinson-McGee said she found the academy "hard and intense," but also a place where the staff and students supported each other to make it through.

She grew up in St. Paul's West Seventh neighborhood, where she still lives. She graduated from the High School for Recording Arts in 2010. Though her dad couldn't be with her at Monday's graduation, she had other family members supporting her.

Hutchinson-McGee said she wanted to become an EMT "to save lives" after finding inspiration in emergency responders when she had to call 911 twice in her life -- when she was 8 years old and a relative collapsed after taking pills, and as a teen when she witnessed a male unresponsive after a car crash. Hutchinson-McGee also helped take care of her father when he was sick, and she wanted to work in a medical field as a result.

Now, Hutchinson-McGee is applying for jobs where she can use her EMT skills. She aspires to go to school to become a paramedic.

Thirty-five of the past EMS Academy graduates are working in the St. Paul fire department's Basic Life Support unit, Adams said. Many are pursuing more education and some are becoming St. Paul firefighters.

Last year, the first EMS Academy graduate was hired as a St. Paul firefighter. And several EMS Academy graduates were selected for the current St. Paul fire academy and are due to become firefighters soon, Adams said.

HOW TO APPLY

What: Applications are due April 30 for the next St. Paul EMS Academy, which is 10 weeks long and begins in June. It's free and participants are paid.

Who: St. Paul residents who are age 18 to 24, low income or at-risk. Applicants must have a GED or high-school diploma.

Copyright 2016 - Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.