Paramedic science and driving

3

Hello, I am looking at applying for paramedic science however I do not have a manual driving license I am looking to start taking lessons hopefully sometime in December as I have just gotten a proper job and can afford to pay for lessons, but I know paramedic courses majority of places require to have a full clean manual license prior to starting and I may be able to get it before next September but also may not, so I am in a predicament of what to do shall I still apply and take the chance or do I cut my losses and look at pursing another career.

Reply 1

martin7

20

Original post

by Dainty cactus

Hello, I am looking at applying for paramedic science however I do not have a manual driving license I am looking to start taking lessons hopefully sometime in December as I have just gotten a proper job and can afford to pay for lessons, but I know paramedic courses majority of places require to have a full clean manual license prior to starting and I may be able to get it before next September but also may not, so I am in a predicament of what to do shall I still apply and take the chance or do I cut my losses and look at pursing another career.

When you say you "do not have a manual driving license" -- do you mean that you do have a licence but it's automatic-only? Or do you mean that you haven't started to learn to drive at all?

The main problem, from what I've read, is that getting a booking for a driving test can take some time.

Ideally you'd start taking lessons as soon as you can -- if you can't start taking lessons till December that's two and a half months lost, given that it's mid-September now.

Reply 2

Dainty cactus

OP

3

Original post

by martin7

When you say you "do not have a manual driving license" -- do you mean that you do have a licence but it's automatic-only? Or do you mean that you haven't started to learn to drive at all?
The main problem, from what I've read, is that getting a booking for a driving test can take some time.
Ideally you'd start taking lessons as soon as you can -- if you can't start taking lessons till December that's two and a half months lost, given that it's mid-September now.

Hi, it’s that i don’t have a manual or automatic license at all yet there is a chance i can probably get lesson in october due to starting my job sooner than i anticipated, as I do have an instructor in mind it’s just wether they can take me on or not

Reply 3

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Dainty cactus

Hello, I am looking at applying for paramedic science however I do not have a manual driving license I am looking to start taking lessons hopefully sometime in December as I have just gotten a proper job and can afford to pay for lessons, but I know paramedic courses majority of places require to have a full clean manual license prior to starting and I may be able to get it before next September but also may not, so I am in a predicament of what to do shall I still apply and take the chance or do I cut my losses and look at pursing another career.

Hey @Dainty cactus

I'm currently in my 3rd year on a paramedic science course. When I applied to university, I didn't hold my full driving licence; I was still learning to drive. I didn't really find that this narrowed down my options too much, apart from one or two universities that specified that they required the applicant to hold a full driving license at the point of application.

I would definitely recommend being able to drive before your first placement, which may be as soon as a month or so after starting university, as you will be required to make your own way to your placement during unsociable hours, so it's definitely easiest to drive. Apart from this, it's definitely best to get your manual driving licence sooner rather than later to build some experience driving before having to drive an ambulance when you qualify!

So overall, as long as the university you want to go to doesn't specify that you must hold a full manual licence, then go for it! The worst they can do is say no 🙂

Best of luck with your application, and let me know if you have any other questions.
-Molly
BCU Student rep

Reply 4

Dainty cactus

OP

3

Hi thank you that’s so helpful, I’ve managed to get a driving instructor for the upcoming week, a few universities do specific that a driving license is needed but that it’s not to deter anyone from applying, especially because of my area I live one of the main hospitals is a 10/15 minute walk from my house. If it’s not too much to ask could you tell me a bit more about how you’ve found the course?
Many thanks grace

Reply 5

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Dainty cactus

Hi thank you that’s so helpful, I’ve managed to get a driving instructor for the upcoming week, a few universities do specific that a driving license is needed but that it’s not to deter anyone from applying, especially because of my area I live one of the main hospitals is a 10/15 minute walk from my house. If it’s not too much to ask could you tell me a bit more about how you’ve found the course?
Many thanks grace

Yes, of course! Is there anything specific you wanted to know?

When I first started the course in my first year, I felt like everyone was quite ahead of me, as I had come straight from college, whereas others had previous experience working in healthcare. However, by the end of first year, everyone seemed to have caught up to the same level, so if you are in a similar position, don't worry about it :smile:

.

The main thing that people in my cohort seemed to struggle with in first year was the anatomy and physiology exam due to the amount of content we had to learn for the exam. The thing I found most helpful for revising for these exams was flashcards and going over them frequently to memorise them.

The main thing I enjoyed about first year was getting out on placement and putting all my learning into practice! Just get stuck in, ask questions (this won't annoy them, I promise !), show that you are keen to learn, and don't do anything you don't feel comfortable doing.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with :smile:

-Molly
BCU Student rep

Reply 6

Dainty cactus

OP

3

Thank you, everything you’ve said sounds so beneficial, i have some knowledge of anatomy and physiology already from my college course and it was hard enough this past year so i’ll definitely be keeping what flashcards i did make to go over, but do you remember you application process, as i had decide to pass on paramedic science due to not thinking id get in at all based on my driving licence but i just can’t bear the idea of it trying but with bernal’s stents i don’t know excruciating what will make me stand out

Reply 7

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

18

Original post

by Dainty cactus

Thank you, everything you’ve said sounds so beneficial, i have some knowledge of anatomy and physiology already from my college course and it was hard enough this past year so i’ll definitely be keeping what flashcards i did make to go over, but do you remember you application process, as i had decide to pass on paramedic science due to not thinking id get in at all based on my driving licence but i just can’t bear the idea of it trying but with bernal’s stents i don’t know excruciating what will make me stand out

That’s great that you have previous A&P knowledge! I did A-level biology and found quite a lot of my content was similar to content i had learned for my biology exams so i would definitely keep your flashcards.

It may be different for other unis or more recents years but here’s a general overview of what my application process looked like:

Personal statement: Make sure you go into detail of any previous work experience and how this has helped your communication skills etc. I worked in a cafe so went more into detail about that and how it had strengthened my conflict resolution skills by dealing with unhappy customers. Obviously if you have any healthcare experience or care worker experience this is great! Previous experience volunteering with St John’s ambulance service can also make you stand out among other applicants. However, the main part of the job is people skills, all the healthcare side of it can be taught, so the more experience you have in a customer facing role the better!

Interview process: In my interview there was first a group task which was observed by interviewers, this was a fairly simple task.
I was then selected to go onto the next interview stage which was a 1:1 interview with a member of the course team. As long as you prepare well for the interview, learning the NHS and HCPC values and show your passion for wanting to do the course you will definitely stand out!

And then after that it is just a waiting game to find out whether you are accepted. It can be a very competitive application process due to the large numbers of people applying for the course but don’t let that put you off applying.

Best of luck with your application, and don’t let the driving licence put you off! Especially if you are in the process of getting it.

-Molly
BCU Student rep

Paramedic science and driving

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