The Student Room Group

Path to Paramedic

Hi all

Just very quickly, 34 years old, 10(?) GCSEs all over C, 4 A-Levels (including General Studies), more of a mixed bag (BCDE :s-smilie:), Ba(Hons) FCCA ATT CTA. Not feeling it like I used to, want to do something more rewarding, thinking now might be the time for various reasons.

After considering various new fields I keep coming back to Paramedic. I naively thought I could get a lower level job, go to night school and work my way up, but after reading around the subject and the guide on the NHS site (https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/paramedic/entry-requirements-and-training-paramedic) I see not.

For the moment my ambitions are parked; as I see it I will need to get at least another A-Level (in a science, as the E was in physics and the other grades were maths and design/technology), which is not a real problem, then basically go to University again for a year full time, which would mean being out of work for a year, which is possible but would be a strain on finances (and my student loan is already never going to be paid off - actually given that fact, might as well increase it!). It would probably be do-able if I knew I would be employed straight out of Uni.

In the meantime, either as a means to itself or as something that will help should I manage to re-ignite my ambitions later, I am going to volunteer at St Johns, with a view to working up to ambulance services.

As I say, I've read a few guides (on here and on the NHS sites), but it is the same things over and over and I think with me having been away from that sort of education for a while (I've done a lot of exams since Uni, but all of them have been accountancy/tax) I'm not really getting what I should be doing in my position.

Have I got it all right? i.e.
Volunteer with SJA
Get (at least) another A-Level in science (social or natural), maybe 2 if my points are poor (I read one requirement say 1,000 points, I put my A-Levels into a calculator online and it was less than 100... I assume there is more than one scale! :smile: )
Volunteer with SJA
Return to university and do another year.
Volunteer with SJA
Hopefully get a job and continue my studies.

Umm, any advice gratefully received. Worst case scenario, SJA get a volunteer and I have to stick this job out forever! Actually worst case would be I go back to Uni, get further in debt, my house is repossessed while I am not earning, my wife leaves me, I get my new qualification and find there are no jobs and I starve holding a sign saying 'will stabalise injured persons for transport for food'!
Reply 1
Original post by CaptainFirecat
Hi all

Just very quickly, 34 years old, 10(?) GCSEs all over C, 4 A-Levels (including General Studies), more of a mixed bag (BCDE :s-smilie:), Ba(Hons) FCCA ATT CTA. Not feeling it like I used to, want to do something more rewarding, thinking now might be the time for various reasons.

After considering various new fields I keep coming back to Paramedic. I naively thought I could get a lower level job, go to night school and work my way up, but after reading around the subject and the guide on the NHS site (https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/paramedic/entry-requirements-and-training-paramedic) I see not.

For the moment my ambitions are parked; as I see it I will need to get at least another A-Level (in a science, as the E was in physics and the other grades were maths and design/technology), which is not a real problem, then basically go to University again for a year full time, which would mean being out of work for a year, which is possible but would be a strain on finances (and my student loan is already never going to be paid off - actually given that fact, might as well increase it!). It would probably be do-able if I knew I would be employed straight out of Uni.

In the meantime, either as a means to itself or as something that will help should I manage to re-ignite my ambitions later, I am going to volunteer at St Johns, with a view to working up to ambulance services.

As I say, I've read a few guides (on here and on the NHS sites), but it is the same things over and over and I think with me having been away from that sort of education for a while (I've done a lot of exams since Uni, but all of them have been accountancy/tax) I'm not really getting what I should be doing in my position.

Have I got it all right? i.e.
Volunteer with SJA
Get (at least) another A-Level in science (social or natural), maybe 2 if my points are poor (I read one requirement say 1,000 points, I put my A-Levels into a calculator online and it was less than 100... I assume there is more than one scale! :smile: )
Volunteer with SJA
Return to university and do another year.
Volunteer with SJA
Hopefully get a job and continue my studies.

Umm, any advice gratefully received. Worst case scenario, SJA get a volunteer and I have to stick this job out forever! Actually worst case would be I go back to Uni, get further in debt, my house is repossessed while I am not earning, my wife leaves me, I get my new qualification and find there are no jobs and I starve holding a sign saying 'will stabalise injured persons for transport for food'!


You could get a job as an emergency care assistant (London and a few other places are recruiting now). This isn't quite a paramedic role, but would give you experience and training. Your job would be very similar to a paramedic, because a lot of jobs are "Omg I sprained my ankle a week ago" and don't actually need the full paramedic skills.

So you'd get to see if you like the job (spoiler alert: it's nothing like Casualty) and you can move onto paramedic training later if you want. There's also a teeny chance you'll be able to get your training funded by the ambulance service - I wrote a post on this previously, but the LAS offered 18 places on their last course.
Original post by Juno
You could get a job as an emergency care assistant (London and a few other places are recruiting now). This isn't quite a paramedic role, but would give you experience and training. Your job would be very similar to a paramedic, because a lot of jobs are "Omg I sprained my ankle a week ago" and don't actually need the full paramedic skills.

So you'd get to see if you like the job (spoiler alert: it's nothing like Casualty) and you can move onto paramedic training later if you want. There's also a teeny chance you'll be able to get your training funded by the ambulance service - I wrote a post on this previously, but the LAS offered 18 places on their last course.


Thank you very much. I am going to volunteer with St John's Ambulance (if they will take me) and they will train me first to fix boo boos at events, with there being a progression to more serious injuries and responsibility. Once I have experience and recognised skill, they have another volunteer role that is riding around in an ambulance, presumably taking the lower end of the whole area so fully trained paramedics can deal with car crashes rather than sore legs.

I asked SJA how this all worked and they said a lot of the ambulance role people started as event medics, so it seems a logical progression for me to look at. And as you say, better to find out whether I like it after 'wasting' a few dozen hours than after years of study and debt (ok you didn't say that exactly, but I inferred :smile: ).

Plus if I did decide I wanted to go professional, I would be looked on much more favourably after doing all that than I would be now. And hey, maybe the volunteer role would be enough to sate my thirst for fixing people, who knows.

I am relieved Casualty isn't indicative of the real life role, I think all the affairs and secrets being brought out week in week out would be jolly tiring...
Reply 3
Another thing to do is get your C1 licence. Some services will give you a job offer and then let you take it before joining, but others want you to have it before applying. It does take a while to do as you need a form, then a medical, then apply to the DVLA for your provisional before you can do anything else. Then you need to pass the theory and hazard perception (taken as two separate tests) before finally doing the practical.

You'll also need to know the highway code inside out for the blue light driving course. You need to know all road signs word perfect.
Original post by Juno
Another thing to do is get your C1 licence. Some services will give you a job offer and then let you take it before joining, but others want you to have it before applying. It does take a while to do as you need a form, then a medical, then apply to the DVLA for your provisional before you can do anything else. Then you need to pass the theory and hazard perception (taken as two separate tests) before finally doing the practical.

You'll also need to know the highway code inside out for the blue light driving course. You need to know all road signs word perfect.


Thank you, duly noted! :smile:

One last question, is there an age where you are too old to start the process? Given I'm not intending to be head of the department or anything, it's not like I need to make sure I have time to progress to the top. Would 40 be too late?
Reply 5
Original post by CaptainFirecat
Thank you, duly noted! :smile:

One last question, is there an age where you are too old to start the process? Given I'm not intending to be head of the department or anything, it's not like I need to make sure I have time to progress to the top. Would 40 be too late?

There's no upper age limit and many people do come to it later in life. However, you have to remember it is a demanding job - you're on your feet all day, carrying heavy kit and patients, working shifts. If you already have an established family routine you might not want to disrupt things to work long night shifts.
Original post by Juno
There's no upper age limit and many people do come to it later in life. However, you have to remember it is a demanding job - you're on your feet all day, carrying heavy kit and patients, working shifts. If you already have an established family routine you might not want to disrupt things to work long night shifts.


Thanks.

No kids, and I already work late far too often (admittedly not nights but still), so hours would barely be an issue (my wife would adapt).

And I can't speak for 40 year old me, but I'm in good shape at the moment, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks again.
Reply 7
Original post by CaptainFirecat
Thanks.

No kids, and I already work late far too often (admittedly not nights but still), so hours would barely be an issue (my wife would adapt).

And I can't speak for 40 year old me, but I'm in good shape at the moment, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks again.

How good are you with disgusting things? People will save their vomit to show you. You will visit houses and wipe your feet on the way out. You will kneel in wee.

You're also never really off duty. If anything happens you need to help, even if you're on the way to Tesco at the time.
Original post by Juno
How good are you with disgusting things? People will save their vomit to show you. You will visit houses and wipe your feet on the way out. You will kneel in wee.

You're also never really off duty. If anything happens you need to help, even if you're on the way to Tesco at the time.


I'm not squeamish (though apparently without a spellchecker I can't spell it :P).

If I was able to become a paramedic I'd consider it a lifestyle, rather than a job, so doing it off the clock would fit with that.
Reply 9
Original post by CaptainFirecat
I'm not squeamish (though apparently without a spellchecker I can't spell it :P).

If I was able to become a paramedic I'd consider it a lifestyle, rather than a job, so doing it off the clock would fit with that.


You don't have to spell. You just write really loopy and joined up and nobody can read it anyway.
Original post by Juno
You don't have to spell. You just write really loopy and joined up and nobody can read it anyway.


That, at least, I already have mastered :wink:
Reply 11
Original post by CaptainFirecat
That, at least, I already have mastered :wink:


I cannot comment on the quality, but this course exists and might be good at answering questions.
Original post by Juno
I cannot comment on the quality, but this course exists and might be good at answering questions.


Thank you for that and for thinking of me when you saw it, I will give it a look.
there is an agency called jigsaw medical who have just starting doing a paramedic course look it up and contact them. You can work on the bank while getting paid i think too with them.

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