On Friday, June 9th, Charleston County EMS held a ceremony for six Australian paramedics who took their Oath of Patient Care and earned their badges. Charleston County worked with the South Carolina EMS Association to hire the paramedics from Australia where unlike the U.S. there are more paramedics than there are jobs.
“Staffing shortages are not unique to Charleston County and we had an opportunity to think outside the box and find qualified workers who want to be paramedics and want the opportunity to work in Charleston County,” said EMS Director Dave Abrams. “We're excited for this group to join our team and are committed to the success of this new opportunity to recruit from another country.”
The group of paramedics will begin doing clinical hours required for their paramedic credentials in the U.S. Once complete, they will test for the National Registry Certification, and are scheduled to be full-time (U.S. certified) paramedics by the end of June.
