EMT Career Pathway Program for High School Students By Jenniffer McCloskey, Director of Saratoga County Employment and Training
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n June of 2022, the Saratoga County Department of Employment and Training launched the EMT Career Pathway Pilot Program. Born out of the need for current and future first responders, the program was designed to be the first step in what we hope will be a lifelong dedication to public service and greater medical careers for participants. Partnering with the Town of Clifton Park, Clifton Park-Halfmoon EMS, Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC), Shenendehowa High School (Shen), and Career Jam, we aimed to create a community-based collaboration to provide the structure and supports needed for success. Starting small with a group of six from Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, students were enrolled at Hudson Valley Community College and began their training at the HVCC TEC-SMART campus in Malta. Upon completion of the program, they earned seven college credits. Committing much of their summer, the program encompassed 140 hours of instruction and practical lab time in addition to ten patient ride-alongs with the Clifton Park-Halfmoon EMS.
Understanding that the cost of tuition, books and supplies can create barriers for many students contemplating their next steps after high school graduation, we provided these necessities to students enrolled in the program so they could be as successful as possible during their journey to becoming our community’s future EMTs, paramedics, nurses, and doctors. During the program’s kickoff event, Dr. L. Oliver Robinson, Superintendent of Schools stated, “As a school system, it is our responsibility to provide students with options and opportunities to lead them into the future. Creating this career pathway prior to students graduating from Shenendehowa allows our young people to serve their community and meet the growing workforce demands in frontline emergency response.” Phil Barrett, Town of Clifton Park Supervisor said, “This unique program not only offers students with an interest in the medical services field an option to enter the workforce while pursuing their post-secondary certifications and degrees, but also helps to meet a critical need for more EMTs in our community. I’m thankful to our partners at Saratoga County Employment and Training, Clifton ParkHalfmoon EMS, Hudson Valley Community College, Shenendehowa High School, and Career Jam, who’ve come together to create this important and innovative program. As a Shen alumni myself, (Class of 1997), I was excited to launch the Saratoga County EMT Career Pathway pilot program at my alma mater. We had hoped the program would be successful and would give us insight into whether it was a worthwhile endeavor to expand county-wide. What we didn’t expect was how impactful, successful, and lifechanging the program would be.
Supervisor of Clifton Park, Phil Barrett; Superintendent of Shenendehowa Schools, Dr. L. Oliver Robinson; HVCC Program Director of Paramedic and Community Health, Robert Phillip; Executive Director of Clifton Park-Halfmoon Emergency Corps, Inc., Alan Bell. 40
NYSAC News | Fall 2022
