The Importance of Recognizing EMS Providers Beyond “Thank You”
The Importance of Recognizing EMS Providers Beyond “Thank You” Introduction: Gratitude Is Good — But It’s Not Enough Every May, during EMS Week, social media fills with thank-you posts and photos of free donuts in station bays. While those gestures come from a good place, they often fade as soon as the week ends — […]
The Role of Engagement in EMS Retention and Morale
Introduction: When Commitment Fades, So Does Connection Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals enter the field with a clear purpose: to help people in crisis. But over time, that sense of purpose can erode. Long shifts, high call volumes, low pay, and emotional strain make it hard to stay engaged. When engagement declines, so does morale […]
Why Play Matters in EMS: Boosting Morale Through Fun
Introduction: The Stress Behind the Sirens If you’ve ever worked in EMS, you know the adrenaline spikes, the long hours, and the way one call can run into the next until everything is just a blur. What many people outside of the profession don’t see is how these experiences—traumatic calls, endless charts, the quite isolation […]
Why Engagement Matters in EMS
Introduction: Why Engagement Matters in EMS Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is in the middle of a workforce crisis. Agencies across the country are struggling to retain EMTs and paramedics. Turnover rates are two to three times higher than in other healthcare jobs (American Ambulance Association, 2022). At the same time, surveys show that EMS providers […]
Why EMS Turnover Rates Are So High – and What We Can Do About It
A Crisis in EMS EMS is in the middle of a staffing crisis. According to the American Ambulance Association’s 2022 turnover study, EMTs leave their jobs at rates of 36% annually, and paramedics at nearly 27%. That’s two to three times higher than other healthcare jobs. The reasons aren’t a mystery to those of us […]