Every day at dawn, Joy De La Cruz’s 2-year-old son would wish her goodbye with the same phrase.
“Mommy, drive safe. I love you.”
De La Cruz, 23, would say goodbye to her husband as he left for work, put her child in the capable hands of her mother-in-law, and leave for AMR’s Emergency Medical Technician academy.
Normally such a full-time academy costs thousands of dollars over the course of several months, all while the cadet works possible side jobs to make ends meet. But through AMR’s “Earn While You Learn” program, the cost was free to a select group of candidates, including De La Cruz.
The program covered all the costs associated with the academy’s training and textbooks. Additionally, AMR paid for De La Cruz and her classmates to attend class while working through the academy.
Over the 16-week curriculum at the academy, cadets learn a wide variety of EMT skills, including driving an ambulance, delivering a baby, performing CPR, using an automated external defibrillator and administering an EpiPen to someone experiencing a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Last week, she and five fellow cadets were celebrated as the first all-women cohort to graduate in San Diego County history.
“It was hard, but my baby … He’s my inspiration,” De La Cruz said.
The six women who graduated during a ceremony at AMR’s regional headquarters in Kearny Mesa represented the third cohort to come through the company’s program.
The program was initiated by AMR two years ago, starting with co-ed groups from Southwestern College, officials said. The program’s instructors select a handful of aspiring EMT applicants while AMR pays for their expenses, tuition and books.
After graduation, EMT cadets take a national registry exam, an orientation and then they are assigned a field training officer with whom they train in the field for approximately 10 shifts before being cleared to work as an EMT, officials said. The graduates are required to work at least six months for AMR and will be paid $18.22 an hour when they become EMTs.
The first all-women cohort was run in conjunction with Miramar College, which paid for the graduates’ testing and credentialing fees.
The reason for creating an all-female class was, in part, to help introduce more women to a field that is dominated by men, officials said. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, women make up roughly a third of EMTs nationally.
“Each of you bring your unique experiences, perspectives and strengths to the table,” Jacqueline Hester, dean of public safety at Miramar College, told the graduates during the ceremony. “These attributes will not only enhance your ability to connect with patients during their most vulnerable moments, it will also contribute to transforming lives in ways that extend far beyond the immediate emergencies.”
One of the biggest obstacles potential EMTs face in joining a program is the cost, which can range from $600 to $3000 while also consuming time that could be spent on an income-generating job, said AMR spokesperson Darren Pudgil.
So the company also paid the women to attend classes and shadow EMTs and paramedics in the field — effectively making the students employees of the company.
“Financial concerns can be an issue,” Pudgil said. “So they are earning income while attending to supplement any work missed while in the program.”
The youngest in class, 18-year-old Liliana Castro, said she always knew her life’s calling would be helping people. At a young age, she took care of her wheelchair-bound aunt when her parents were at work.
After graduating from high school earlier this year, she enrolled in nursing school. But she wanted to find a way to further her career while also supporting her ultimate goal of altruism. She decided to stay in her nursing program and enroll in an EMT academy.
She jumped at the chance to join the Earn While You Learn program and was able to secure one of six spots among a pool of about 500 applicants, she said.
“I’ve always had a strong desire to help others, especially when they need it most,” Castro said. “Ever since I was little, it’s all I could think about. And the program helped me focus on my education and training without the added stress of figuring out how to pay for it.”
The “little baby” of the cohort, as some of her classmates dubbed her, said creating an all-female class was important because it put women in positions to empower one another in the field while also serving communities that had previously not been reflected in the emergency personnel profession.
Both Castro and De La Cruz agreed that the program has kick-started their careers.
For De La Cruz, that means she will be able to help support her family and be a role model for her child while she works toward becoming a fire department paramedic.
“My baby gets to see me go to school, come back and not only be a student, but also a wife and a mother,” De La Cruz said. “It’s hard, challenging … but I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
As she stood at the front of the room last Wednesday where she received her certification, shook hands with her instructors and mentors, and received applause from her peers, De La Cruz received what she considers the best accolade of all.
From the back of her room, her son called out: “That’s mommy.”
