Any paramedics on here? Thinking of a career change.

GlitterBalls

GlitterBalls

GlitterBalls

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Always been interested in helping others and the job satisfaction that would ultimately come from being a paramedic.

I've done some research and seems like you need to go through quite a bit to eventually become one. I am well aware of the stresses and stuff which come with the job. I would love to help out and work for the NHS and people in need.

So if anyone can give me a run down of what I need to do I'd really appreciate it. I've looked elsewhere but would love to hear some personal experiences (if any paramedics are on this forum).

Thanks in advance
 
Hi, Paramedic here. There's another few on here too.

There's several ways into the job. But first, it's important to recognise there are different grades of clinicians on board your typical ambulance.

Firstly, and obviously, there's Paramedics. Fully autonomous and registered with a governing body.

Then you have your Technicians, again, fully autonomous but not registered. Reduced skillset of that of a Paramedic.

Finally you have Ambulance/Emergency Care Assistants (the title will vary depending on the Trust) who are blue light qualified and will give their clinical crewmate a hand.

Option 1: you need a BSc in Paramedic Science. Do this at uni on your own or via successful completion of an apprenticeship, which will include an element of university, with an Ambulance Trust who has such a program, not all do. Once registered, you can go on to work in A&E, Urgent Care Centres, GP surgeries, etc, if you wish.

Options 2 and 3: direct recruitment by and completion of apprenticeships with participating Ambulance Services.

The job is extremely stressful and tiring, as featured in the press recently. Finishing late is the norm, it's just how late that varies. This is the biggest thing wearing out crews.

The role is evolving and social care, primary care, etc are becoming increasingly at the forefront of our workload.

Hope that helps. Shout if you have any further questions.
 
I know some people who are techs, and have acquaintances who are paramedics.

All I would say is make sure you have taken off any rose tinted glasses you may have on. It can be a very rewarding job but it can also be stressful, you will see things that upset you for a long time afterwards, you will be worked hard constantly, abused, be part of a failing system, and a have a high likelihood of being physically broken by the job long before retirement age.
 
Wildcard: Maybe volunteer as a Community First Responder to see how front line NHS work suits? CFRs are dispatched by the local ambulance control to serious jobs like heart attacks in advance of an ambulance. Training provided by your local trust.

If it suits, then you have the entry points others have posted above :)

I respond for West Midlands Ambulance Service if you wanted to chat.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I'll respond accordingly later on today.
Mrwong said:
You need to have balls of steel in that job, you will see things that could turn your stomach.

You really need to sit down and think about it, it might sound great but it could impact you pretty hard.
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I can imagine, I used to be an undertaker though so have seen a fair share of messed up things. Safe to say, it was a dead end job.

Seriously though. Thanks for the info so far and I will converse later on after work
 
Who are the guys who turn up in cars before the ambulance on stuff like suspected heart attacks or serious RTA’s?

They're not CFR’s as they seem superior to the paramedics when they arrive.
 
Probably advanced paramedics in the cars - basically experienced paramedics with some extra training & skills, and are either have a masters or are working towards one.
 
GreatAuk said:
Probably advanced paramedics in the cars - basically experienced paramedics with some extra training, and are either have a masters or are working towards one.
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Ok, I thought they were fully qualified doctors. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an emergency response car with DOCTOR on the sides and bonnet
 
Good luck, it's a worthy career to have decided to go into.

I know my sister is currently about 2 years into her quest to become a paramedic of some sort.

It's been tough to get onto a training program for her, and I think she's ended up getting her driving license upgraded of her own accord and cost to make her more attractive to recruiters, she's 10 years younger than me so didnt get the good old style license!

She's finally got an interview coming up soon though so here's hoping.
 
Huxton said:
Thanks for all the replies. I'll respond accordingly later on today.

I can imagine, I used to be an undertaker though so have seen a fair share of messed up things. Safe to say, it was a dead end job.

Seriously though. Thanks for the info so far and I will converse later on after work
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It is nothing like an undertaker job. It is pretty nasty and very depressing at times. But good luck.
 
robfosters said:
Who are the guys who turn up in cars before the ambulance on stuff like suspected heart attacks or serious RTA’s?

They're not CFR’s as they seem superior to the paramedics when they arrive.
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I am a CFR, and I'm dispatched to Cat1/2 calls (the most serious) at the same time as an ambulance, however the idea is that I cover around 6-8 miles from my GPS location so will arrive before the ambulance and start treatment. provided I am closer. There are other specialist resources like BASICS, advanced paramedics, HART etc. that are also deployed to jobs.

Best way to tell (as a rule) is that if they arrive using blue lights, they aren't a CFR. Also, CFR vehicles have a different Battenberg colour scheme (Green/Amber) to trust vehicles (Green/Yellow)
 
robfosters said:
Who are the guys who turn up in cars before the ambulance on stuff like suspected heart attacks or serious RTA’s?

They're not CFR’s as they seem superior to the paramedics when they arrive.
Click to expand...

wmas.nhs.uk

Emergency preparedness - West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust

Emergency Preparedness is an integral part of West Midlands Ambulance Service to ensure we’re ready and prepared to respond to all emergency situations.
wmas.nhs.uk wmas.nhs.uk

See “MERIT” on the site above. Lots of critical care and anaesthetic docs (as well as advanced paramedics) do pre hospital medicine and sign up to do this. Bag of special kit and blue lights on the family car! It’s not for me!

Good luck OP, it’s a really tough profession in so many ways. Massive respect for those working at the coalface like this.
 
As someone who works for an ambulance trust, but not in medical, there is another way as well. You could start off taking 999 calls and then move out onto the road as I think a technician ( I could be wrong) and work your way up from there. It'll give you the chance to see if you can handle the hours and stresses of the job as it's not for everyone.
 
robfosters said:
Ok, I thought they were fully qualified doctors. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an emergency response car with DOCTOR on the sides and bonnet
Click to expand...

You also see Doctor cars which are the Out of Hours cars that do visits. They're not emergency vehicles but are usually marked up quite like them.

It's pretty bleak in the Paramedic/urgent care realm at the moment. You'd have to be very committed to the job. Several of the paramedics I see regularly are broken/moving on to other roles.
 
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