When Mercer County Ambulance Service in Hazen, N.D., needed a new leader and manager, the board hired the one applicant with no EMS experience.
Located in central North Dakota along the southern edge of beautiful Lake Sakakawea, Mercer County Ambulance Service (MCAS) covers more than 1,000 square miles with two ALS units and one BLS unit staffed by a combination of paid and volunteer providers. Its call volume of more than 800 calls per year is steadily growing as North Dakota’s oil boom continues its sprawl.
While MCAS’s mission is one of providing a high quality of clinical care and customer service, its greatest challenges are not clinical or quality oriented; as with most of EMS, the challenges are business- and management-oriented. As a not-for-profit corporation receiving limited tax subsidies, it needs to stay financially healthy and create a work culture that minimizes drama while attracting and keeping good people. Like many other rural services, MCAS’s volunteer subsidy is waning as dedicated volunteers grow older and young volunteers become more difficult to recruit. Addressing these challenges calls for innovative leadership, management and business know-how.
When MCAS’s board started searching for someone to head the organization, they imagined the best candidate would be a paramedic. Yet when the candidate list was narrowed, the one candidate who stood out had management, leadership and business experience—but absolutely no EMS.
Matt Richter is a 36-year-old with an MBA and a diverse business and management background. At the time of MCAS’s search, he was working in the energy industry; he’d also worked in public relations and as a college instructor. He presented himself well, had good recommendations and was willing to take a pay cut to move to Mercer County to raise his family. He made no bones about his lack of EMS experience but felt confident he could learn EMS while bringing what the organization needed most.
Many emergency services are reluctant to hire leaders and managers from outside the field. The common reasons are: Emergency work is unique and leaders need special knowledge of the business from the ground up; the troops will not follow a leader who lacks field credibility; and in the event of a big call or a disaster, the leader will be useless. But in reality, good leadership and management skills are portable—and applicable to many different industries, EMS included. Yet often, out of fear, many agencies (especially small ones) prefer field experience over leadership and management experience, often to the detriment of the organization and field providers. As we know well, great field providers do not necessarily make great managers.
MCAS did not follow its fear, yet according to board member Angie Saylor, it was a difficult decision. When they went with Richter, not all board members agreed. Some service members and community members were skeptical about the choice.
So how has it gone? Richter has 18 months on the job, and Saylor says that while the first month was challenging, the board, field staff and community are pleased with the decision and results. In a short time, the service has experienced a significant turnaround and continues to improve.
How did Richter do it? He simply applied what he knew. When he started the job, he went into learning mode and apprenticed himself to his staff. “They became my teachers,” he says. “I listened. You don’t just start throwing out orders.” He did a thorough situational analysis and then focused on setting organizational priorities and creating a culture that served his staff and communities. “We have an excellent squad,” he adds. “My role is coaching a team of star players and helping them get what they need to win.”
John Becknell is the founding publisher of Best Practices. He is a consultant and partner at SafeTech Solutions (safetechsolutions.us).
