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NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EXPERT TO LEAD EMS TRAINING EFFORTS AT SOUTHWEST AMBULANCE;
In-House Training Helps Aleve Paramedic Shortages, Advance Careers, Retain Employees
(Mesa, AZ February 28, 2007) There is a Paramedic shortage in Arizona and Southwest Ambulance has a solution. Southwest Ambulance introduced its new Director of Training, Barbara Aehlert, RN on Thursday, March 1, 2007. Aehlert literally wrote many of the ECG and ACLS textbooks used by thousands of Paramedic students across the United States. She is nationally recognized at the forefront of EMS training.
With Arizona’s growth, there has become a Paramedic shortage. In 2003, Southwest Ambulance first developed an internal Paramedic Academy where EMTs were offered the opportunity to receive in-house training to become a Paramedic. Expenses are paid by Southwest, and participants receive an hourly wage. The goal is to help retain talented employees while filling a need.
More than 80 employees have already graduated the in-house Paramedic Academy including firefighters from area agencies, such as Rural/ Metro Fire and the Mesa Fire Department. Aehlert has been hired to expand the program, with plans to eventually offer training services to the public for a fee.
In addition to Paramedic Academies, the Southwest Ambulance Training Department also provides recertification classes for EMTs and Paramedics, Emergency Vehicle Advanced Driver Education, Customer Service Training, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).
The SWA Paramedic Academy is co-sponsored through Paradise Valley Community College and uses facilities on Southwest Ambulance’s new 16-acre Regional Headquarters Campus in Mesa.
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Josh Weiss
Public Information Officer
Southwest Ambulance
Cell: 602-739-0546
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