⁄Spotlight⁄ BY GARRETT ANDREWS SOMETHING IS HAPPENING in Medford practically unheard of in the field of emergency medicine, an experimental pilot program that officials hope can serve as a model around the country. It’s not driverless ambulances or medical-transport drones. It’s not AI-assisted 911 dispatch or an app that streamlines decision-making for first responders. It’s a paid internship. Inspired by the model of the building trades, a coalition of Southern Oregon organizations has started a novel “earn to learn” EMT apprentice program funded by $3 million in state grants. Without breaking any new technological ground, the program, which just wrapped its second year, takes aim at the emerging health care workforce crisis with the idea that if you bring young people into your industry and support them financially, they’re more likely to stick around. The country is in the midst of a health care workforce crisis that’s expected to deepen over the next decade. In essence, it’s a matter of demand growing faster than supply. In other words, health care workloads are increasing due to an aging population while fewer people are working in the medical field. The stress from higher workloads drives retirements and burnout, forcing many workers from the field in a vicious circle. These problems tend to be worse in rural areas. Today in the counties of Jackson and Josephine, there’s a need at nearly every skilled position from 911 operator to nurse to physician to medical-transport pilot (helicopter and fixed-wing). “We’re in a paradigm shift,” says Heather Stafford, director of the Rogue Workforce Partnership. “There are less humans being born, more options for work and rising inflation. And you’ve got a generation coming up that’s not that interested in just trading their time for dollars. They want to do something more interesting, something that has more purpose.” The Rogue Workforce Partnership is one of nine regional workforce-development boards in Oregon responsible for distributing federal workforce dollars. In rural Jackson and Josephine counties, the health care sector remains the largest employer and offers residents some of the best opportunities for career advancements, according to Stafford. But workforce needs are spreading across the health care landscape. It’s no longer just the region’s two big health employers, Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center and Providence Health & Services, who need lots of skilled professionals, namely RNs. The dust is still settling in health care employment since the pandemic, when one in five health care professionals quit their job. To fill gaps, traveling nurses, who can earn up to twice the wages of their full-time counterparts, have become ever-present, putting more pressure on large health employers. Bringing in contract workers who earn up to twice the wages of company staff is often bad for morale and can cause agencies to give out bonuses or other costly benefits to retain staff. In response to the dearth of doctors in Southern Oregon, a group of health systems and medical providers calling itself SOAPP, or the Southern Oregon Alliance of Physicians & Providers, has pooled its resources to recruit doctors by marketing the region as a great place to live that’s home to high-quality schools, wineries and health resources. Facing Workforce Crisis, Health Care Officials Push Apprentice Programs in Oregon Jackson County’s largest medical transport service hopes paying young people to learn the ropes draws talent to emergency services. “You’ve got a generation coming up that’s not that interested in just trading their time for dollars. They want to do something more interesting, something that has more purpose.” HEATHER STAFFORD, DIRECTOR OF THE ROGUE WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIP Mercy Flights ambulance fleet COURTESY OF MERCY FLIGHTS 16
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