Michael Williams is a national registered Paramedic and the Oklahoma City recruiter for EMSA. He shares about his experience working there.
“You don’t have to have a lot of schooling when you come here to work,” Williams said. “But if you are ambitious enough and truly hold to the mission that we have, the sky’s the limit.”
What initially drew you to EMSA?
Initially, I wanted to get on at the fire department way back in the day. That’s what drew me to EMSA.
I figured I could get some experience, but as I worked here, I really figured out what we do. It’s really taking good care of sick and hurt people, which you can’t do that anywhere else.
I get fulfillment and joy out of helping others. I’ve done a lot of things here and I’ve had the opportunity to do that in every position that I’ve held.
Did you start out as an EMT and then move to Paramedic, or did you start out as a Paramedic here?
Oh, I started out in the logistics department.
I didn’t have a license at the time, so I started out stocking ambulances because I wanted to know the equipment and the supplies that we would use. I felt like it would help me to not practice in front of my patients, when I did get my EMT license.
And then I worked my way up from there. I went to EMT school, went to paramedic school, got all my credentialing. I’ve done lots of things here.
So it’s really easy to move up the ranks here?
Oh, absolutely. Very easy to move up.
The ladder of career building that we have is unprecedented in my opinion. You don’t have to have a lot of schooling when you come here to work, but if you are ambitious enough and truly hold to the mission that we have, the sky’s the limit.
When it comes to recruiting, who would you say is a candidate that you just know is going to fit in perfectly?
So the perfect candidate that we’re looking for are those individuals that can be determined, committed, dependable, but really have a servant’s heart.
If they truly want to help others, if they’re dependable–you know, if they show every day that they are scheduled, be here on time–and at the end of the day, also not be judgmental of others. Treat everybody with dignity and respect, regardless of what status that they’re in, to help leave them better than they found them.
That’s the good candidate that we’re looking for. That will help us take EMSA to the next level.
If you had to sum up EMSA, what someone could expect in one or two sentences, what would you say?
Fast-paced, patient-driven, team-oriented. Those are great attributes to what the EMSA culture is.
And if you really wanted a place where you can grow your professional skills to become all that you can be and really get secure in your skill set, this is the place for it.
Why have you stayed so long?
I’m dedicated to the mission. I really enjoy this place.
I’ve stayed here so long. This will be my 22nd year working at EMSA, and I’ve done a ton of things working here.
I’ve learned a lot of things, grown professionally, matured emotionally, and had the ability to just help others in a capacity that not everybody gets to do. And it truly humbles me, and I’m thankful for the opportunity every day.
I have fun. It’s a blast.
What would you say to EMTs wanting to work here?
Be a sponge. Be okay with having critical conversations that may be in a corrective nature. Be available and open to others’ ideas or modalities of treatment to help the team. Be willing to just learn more than you’ll ever think that you want to.
The amount of information that we give those EMTs to help others, it can be somewhat overwhelming, but it’s okay.
Take it one day at a time, and one opportunity at a time, to learn your skill set, advance that skill set, and don’t stop learning. Keep going every day.
What sets EMSA apart from other EMS agencies?
What sets EMSA apart from other EMS agencies, I believe, is the dedication that we put into our team members.
We hear over and over again with a lot of interviews that we have. The support system that we have for our medics is just uncomparable anywhere else, in my opinion, as far as this region of the United States.
We’re going to give you all the training that you need to help our patients regardless of your previous training.
We want to hold to that high standard of care that everybody in our service area is accustomed to.
When you’re released into the field, we’re going to have those support systems in place to help you focus on patient care, whether that’s those logistic techs that are packing all of the equipment and decontaminating the ambulances to the fleet team that’s taking care of the ambulances to keep them running, because they run about 20 hours a day.
All the way to risk and safety, helping us maintain good equipment and stay within our standards, to the patient billing services who help us get our funding so that way we can buy new equipment and just help the field medics and the communications center take really good care of sick and hurt people.
I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again. If you’re not a medic treating patients, then you are in support of a medic treating patients here at EMSA.
I don’t believe most agencies are that way and we’re fortunate enough to have a leadership team that’s built around that, that’s totally dedicated.
Again, patient-oriented and team supportive. It sets the standard. It really does.
Talk a little bit about the EMSA Advantage program and why it is so different from other programs that you might go to at a school.
The EMSA Advantage program is a little different because going to a tech school where you can take an EMT class, you can go to school for four months if you’d like.
Not everyone can dedicate that much time to working and going to school at the same time. We want to fast track that. We want to give you an opportunity where you can maybe attain a goal of yours or another career path that you didn’t have the opportunity before.
The EMSA Advantage program is actually a hired position. We pay you to be an EMT trainee for a period of about nine or ten weeks. It’s going to be fast track. It’s going to be adult learning, but it’s not impossible.
We want to consolidate that and then give you the experience where you’re in the field treating those patients. That’s what you went to school for. That’s what you’re trying to go to school for.
You don’t owe anybody any tuition after the program is over. We just want some of your time. Comes with an 18-month commitment, but it’s going to fly by.
By the time you get through the school itself, then you get through your orientation academy, then you get through the probationary period, half of your commitment is already done.
And you have the opportunity to attend the in-house paramedic program. You don’t have to fulfill the 18-month commitment as an EMT before you’re eligible to apply to further your credentialing as a paramedic.
Join today. Make a difference.
Have a Question?
Contact one of our recruiters for a one-on-one chat about your future at EMSA.