Success Story Saint Paul EMS Academy Instructors: Kathy Bjornson; Jake Dahlke; Brian Flynn; Tina Mininni; David Page; Matt Ruland Organizations: City of Saint Paul Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity City of Saint Paul Fire Department City of Saint Paul Department of Parks and Recreation Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Counties Inver Hills Community College Saint Paul Public Schools Hubbs Center for Adult Basic Education

Brief program description Enrolls year old low-income/at-risk residents of Saint Paul, actively recruiting diverse youth of populations underrepresented in EMS and healthcare workforces 240-hour Emergency Medical Technician (9- credit) certification course; 60-hour Pre-EMS preparatory course Graduates earn national certification as EMT, 9 college credits, have built resumes and interview skills, and can immediately apply to positions in EMS, firefighting, emergency rooms, and more.

Quantitative data describing program outcomes 9 and 22 students in first and second Bridge classes (Pre- EMS) 35 students in each integrated class (EMS Academy) 7 of 9 graduated first Pre-EMS; 22 of 22 (at week 3 of 10) remain in current Pre-EMS; 20 of 35 graduated first integrated EMS Academy in April % of graduates are employed or studying Over 50% of our graduates continue their college educations and over 70% are employed or studying healthcare Students often improve 2 grade levels on TABE with some students improving from 7 th to 11 th grade levels or higher

Brief success story/narrative 20 year-old African American female: Had recently left abusive relationship and was raising two children while living in a battered woman’s shelter Annual income was less than $6,000 at time of enrollment EMS Academy connected her with temporary childcare, food benefits, and other services Two months after graduation she was hired by Regions Hospital’s Emergency Department as an ER technician Continued her position full-time with Regions, earning roughly $30,000 per year While working, she furthers her studies in medicine at the University of Minnesota

Biggest lesson learned Be flexible and open-minded!!!!!! There is more than one way to skin a cat.

Changes in teaching practice From an ABE instructor’s perspective, I (Kathy) saw a shift in the content instructors’ practice away from providing an immediate answer to a student’s question towards asking the student guided questions, so the student answered his/her own question.

Contact Information Program Administration/general inquiries: ; MNSCU Instruction: David Page: ; Kris Hanson: ; Saint Paul Public Schools Hubbs Center ABE: Karen Gerdin: ; Kathy Bjornson: Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Coutnies: Connie Kranz: