A new program at
Lansing Community College will help military medics more easily and affordably train to become civilian paramedics.
"We have a nursing shortage, and we have a shortage in EMS as well," says Darrell DeMartino, coordinator for the program. "We also have a veterans with unemployment rates that are double that of the civilian population. This is good for both issues."
The "
Military Medic to Paramedic" program will allow military medics to receive credit for their prior training, cutting a quarter or more off their classroom time.
LCC is now recruiting for the program's first class of veterans to begin classes in January.
"We are already getting calls," says DeMartino. "I just received a call from Afghanistan. So the interest is not just local."
"Military Medic to Paramedic" was funded by a $190,000 grant from the US Department of Labor, which helped LCC officials develop the curriculum.
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