Paid training opportunities provides EMR, EMT certification in six weeks

Shoals Ambulance is launching an EMT academy with the chance to become an emergency medical technicians for free in just six weeks. The company is now accepting applications for an EMT-Basic and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course with free tuition, certification and testing with a two-year employment commitment. To further remove barriers to entering the EMS field, Shoals Ambulance is also offering a training wage and full benefits package as a full-time employee during classroom hours throughout the course.

Instruction is provided by Shoals Ambulance educators. The EMR course will begin on August 30 for a one-week, 40-hour course and testing. Once students have passed the test, the EMT-Basic course will begin on Sept. 7 with a 40-hour full-time weekly schedule, which will include a total of 80 clinical hours on ambulances or in facilities throughout the six-week course.

“The EMS industry has a real need for talented, dedicated students to begin their careers in EMS,” said Shoals Ambulance Operations Manager Blake Hargett. “Shoals Ambulance has positions immediately available for these students, and this course is the first steppingstone towards continuing to develop their skills in EMS or entering other areas of the healthcare and public safety field. By providing a free class and a wage for several students to complete training full-time, we hope to remove financial barriers towards that goal.”

Shoals Ambulance will accept an initial 15 students into its EMT class that begins on August 30; however, the company will be operating this on a regular basis. Applicants not accepted into this program will have the opportunity to put their application forward for a future classes.

Those accepted into the free course will be fully trained and onboarded to begin working on a Shoals ambulance in six weeks upon passing the national registry exam.

To apply, interested individuals should first fill out an application at www.shoalsambulance.com/careers. The second step is to attend a mandatory open interview session and assessment on Friday, August 13.

• Friday, August 13 – 1 p.m.
  Shoals Ambulance Headquarters, 610 Thompson St, Florence, AL 35630
• Friday, August 13 – 6 p.m.
  Shoals Ambulance Headquarters, 610 Thompson St, Florence, AL 35630

Applicants should allot two hours in order to complete the interviews and assessments. Masks or face coverings are required to attend the interviews.

“Upon passing their exam, our students are immediately able to work on an ambulance in Lauderdale County making up to $30,000 a year job,” said Hargett. “With a company-sponsored paramedic class, they can advance their career to make up to $45,000 a year in a short time. This is a great opportunity.”

The coursework for the class will begin on August 30, and students will graduate from the course to take their national registry exams in October.

Shoals Ambulance is dedicated to providing outstanding emergency 911 and nonemergency ambulance services to the city of Florence and Lauderdale County, the city of Bessemer and Jefferson County, and the city of Muscle Shoals. We specialize in the highest level of comfort and patient safety, with highly trained, licensed EMTs and paramedics who are experienced in pre-hospital medical care. Shoals Ambulance is a member of the Priority Ambulance national family of companies.