EMT students graduate from Richland and Abbott's new program

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The first set of students from the "Earn While You Learn" program graduated on Tuesday.

The program is a collaboration between Richland Community College and Abbott EMS.

The 8-week course is intended to remove a barrier for entry faced by people interested in becoming Emergency Medical Technicians since the students earn a paycheck through Abbott while they learn at Richland's EMS lab.

Trevor Smith, EMS Program Director at Richland Community College, said, “Partnering with private companies like Abbott EMS to offer initial education for Emergency Medical Technicians is an innovative approach to help fill gaps in the Emergency Medical Services workforce in our community. These students were put through an intensive eight-week course but succeeded and built relationships along the way which will only be strengthened as they become practicing EMTs in Decatur and Macon County."

The trainees and their families even celebrated the graduation with cake.

“Abbott EMS is proud to have partnered with Richland for the Earn While You Learn (EWYL) EMT-B program. The students are well on their way to a new career in emergency medicine,” said Brian Gerth, Regional Director at Abbott EMS. “With the shortage of EMS professionals in the state of Illinois and the country, this program is an important step in addressing the needs of our community locally.”