Bipartisan bills would allow 17-year-olds in Michigan to receive EMT license with parent permission

As Michigan reckons with a shortage of emergency medical personnel, a pair of lawmakers are looking to help grow the number of emergency medical technicians by tweaking the age requirements for an EMT license.

Members of the House Health Policy Committee met on Wednesday to consider House Bills 5488 and 5489, introduced by Reps. Angela Witwer (D-Delta Township) and David Prestin (R-Cedar River). If signed into law, the policies would allow 17-year-olds to obtain their EMT or medical first responder license, if a parent signs off on the application.

Prestin, himself a licensed paramedic, explained that these bills focus on the two entry level licenses for emergency medicine, noting that a first responder can be trained in 60 hours, while an EMT can be trained over the course of a semester.

EMT’s must have a minimum of 32 hours of clinical experience, including direct patient care in hospital emergency departments.

Students are generally 17 or 18 when they graduate high school, Prestin noted, with the state’s current rules around licensure forcing some graduates to wait several months before they can begin working in their trained profession.

“For students who, like my younger self, don’t have their heart set on a certain career path and are seeking opportunity, whenever and wherever it appears, these artificial barriers can push them into a different career path and we lose them forever,” Prestin said. “These bills allow graduates to enter the workforce sooner, support both full-time and volunteer ambulance services, and give high school career technical programs a clear pathway to employment.”

For those with concerns about whether 17-year-olds are emotionally ready to work as an EMT, Prestin stressed that the real world experiences students gain through the training programs vet out those who are not ready.

Additionally, these students will not be driving ambulances, Prestin noted, explaining that drivers must be 18 or 21 depending on the agency, and must undergo additional training in order to drive.

When asked to comment on the legislation, Lynn Sutfin, spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, told the Advance that the department was committed to addressing health care-related workforce shortages.

“The bills aim to increase the number of emergency medical services (EMS) workers by lowering the age from 18 to 17 to be licensed as a medical first responder or emergency medical technician. Many EMS candidates take their competency exams before they turn 18 but are unable to obtain their license. Allowing candidates to obtain their license sooner allows them to be invested in the EMS career path earlier. In addition, EMS agencies with an aging workforce could see an influx of younger responders, allowing longevity through mentorship,” Sutfin said.

• September 24, 202612:00 pmThis story was updated with comment from MDHHS.

Originally published by Michigan Advance, a nonprofit news organization.