My job as a: Paramedic

coolmoose

Occupation: Emergency Medical Technician - PHECC Registered Paramedic

Qualifications held: Diploma in Emergency Medical Science, National Qualification in Emergency Medical Technology to Paramedic level, Driving course, and a number of work related courses including Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation, MIMMS, Cardiac First Responder etc.

A full, clean C1 and D1 licence is required to apply for the job (I have C and D so I am qualified to drive the bigger major emergency supplies trucks, control vehicles etc.)

Previous Jobs: Hospital porter, student nurse, bus driver (and a few more!)

Daily/Weekly/Yearly Routine: Shifts are normally 12 hour around the country, covering day and night, usually 8pm-8am or 8am-8pm (some stations do 7-7 or 7.30-7.30). There are also other shifts such as 8am-4pm, 8am-3pm, and 12pm-12am. Normally work 2-3 days and then off for 2-3 days. Again, this depends on the station, the number of crews and workload. The system of "on-call" where you are not on shift but required to respond to calls is being phased out and is not in operation in the region I work in.

Paramedics work 24/7, 365 days a year including Bank Holidays, Christmas etc.

Age bracket: Late 20's (minimum age for application to ambulance service is 21)

Day In The Life:

Impossible to describe this...every day is different! Some days before you even start work you could be sent to a call! I work with another PHECC Registered Paramedic on a frontline ambulance. Depending on the crew you swap roles every 2nd call (i.e. drive one call, attend to the patient in the rear of the vehicle for the next call). Some swap every 6 hours, others every 2nd day.

Every day/night begins with a full check of your vehicle and all of it's equipment. Oil, water, lights etc. and a radio check, and then pre-shift checks on suction unit, defibrillator/monitor, run bag, medication bag, stretcher, linen, oxygen & entonox, splints, spinal immobilisation equipment etc. Most of us bring our own bag/pouch with stethoscope, BP cuff, glucometer etc., as well as PPE (helmet, hi-viz jacket & leggings etc.) and reference material (BNF, CPGs)

An average daily workload where I am stationed would be anything from 6-12 calls in the 12 hours. This could include emergency 999 calls such as RTCs (road traffic collisions), difficulty breathing, cardiac arrests, chest pain, psychiatric emergencies, falls, drug overdoses, drownings, industrial accidents and more. We work in all kinds of environments (construction sites, overturned cars, farmyards, toilets), weather (usually rain!) and situations (domestic disputes, assaults, shootings, river rescues, house fires etc.)

We also respond to doctor requests (i.e. a doctor wants a patient admitted to hospital) and non-urgent transfer calls between emergency calls (i.e. bringing a patient back to a nursing home from hospital). Advanced Life Support would be available to us most days in the form of an Advanced Paramedic crewed on another ambulance or on a rapid response car. A large volume of our workload at weekends and on nights is related to drink which can become very frustrating at times, especially when abused or threatened by patients or bystanders. We work very closely with An Garda Siochana and the Fire & Rescue Services and have a very good working relationship with them.

Every day/night finishes with cleaning and refueling your vehicle, getting it ready for the next crew or shift. Replacement of medication bag, equipment used, and cleaning takes place throughout the day as required. All vehicles must be ready to roll at any stage in case another vehicle suffers a breakdown etc.

General comments: This job can be extremely demanding, physically, psychologically and emotionally. You're either cut out for this job or you're not...long shifts, maybe not finishing on time (usually don't!) as you may have to respond to an emergency call close to finish time, and having to deal with patients in situations involving pain, death and suffering on an almost daily basis means that this job isn't for everyone.

Personally I wouldn't do anything else, and with the rapid rate of progression and advancement in the ambulance services in Ireland over the past decade and the planned future progressions this is a career which is going to become attractive to even more people. Money is okay (prior to income levy etc. it was good, but still doesn't match pay of Garda or FF), although allowances boost the pay a good bit...but it's not a job people join for money!

Any questions feel free to ask.

ch252

Coolmoose, thanks for that it's a very in-depth account of the job. Can you run through the recruitment process please?

coolmoose

Copied this from a post I made on another forum

* Firstly you must have full C1 and D1 driving licences before applying for the position. C1 is light goods vehicle (<7500kg) and D1 is minibus (<16 seats). This is essential.

* Secondly you must have Leaving cert with maths and science subject (used to be good general education) and be capable of completing the training, which is quite intense and demands a lot of studying.

* You must wait for the position of Trainee EMT/Student Paramedic to be advertised on www.publicjobs.ie. You can pre-register on this site and asked to be informed of vacancies in the Emergency Services section. Then when the position is advertised you will be notified by email.

* Once you have applied you will be invited to sit an aptitude test. This consists of verbal comprehension and anaytical reasoning questions.

* If you are sucessful in the aptitude test you will be placed in your order of merit (i.e. how you did in the test) on a list for interview.

* You will be sent an application pack to fill in and return prior to interview. The interview is a structured interview, and the format of this is explained in the pack.

* If successful in the interview you will be placed on a national panel for positions, and will be offered a position pending medical, Garda clearance and reference checks.

The course is approximately 9 months in duration, run in the National Ambulance Service College (NASC) (Phoenix Park or Ballinasloe campus) in association with UCD. You cannot apply for this course through any other means. The course consists of classroom based teaching, syndicate groupwork, placements, subject specific courses (i.e. Major Incident Management, Trauma Life Support etc) and independent PHECC examinations. If successful in Part 2 paramedic examination then you go forward to undertake your 1 year Postgraduate Internship on a frontline ambulance. Successful completion of this 1 year internship leads to qualification and registration as a PHECC Registered Paramedic.

Elessar

Thanks coolmoose. I'm waiting for the day the HSE start recruiting for trainees again!

Have you heard anything about future recruitment? I have heard rumors that fitness tests will be introdued, or driving tests and that there will be a bursary fund instead of wages for trainees. True/false?

Once you complete training, can you choose where you are stationed? Or do you have no choice? (i.e. living in dublin will they send you to donegal!?)

How easy is it to progress upwards in the ambulance service? Who get's into the AP program, do LEMT/management positions come up often etc.?

coolmoose

Elessar wrote: »

1. Have you heard anything about future recruitment?

2. I have heard rumors that fitness tests will be introdued, or driving tests and that there will be a bursary fund instead of wages for trainees. True/false?

3. Once you complete training, can you choose where you are stationed? Or do you have no choice? (i.e. living in dublin will they send you to donegal!?)

4. How easy is it to progress upwards in the ambulance service? Who get's into the AP program, do LEMT/management positions come up often etc.?

1. I've heard it will recommence in the next few weeks...but as with the rumour mill take this with a pinch of salt!

2. I have heard about the bursary training fund alright but again, would wait and see about that. Haven't heard about fitness or driving tests, but this wouldn't surprise me, a lot of the UK services test these prior to offering employment.

3. Nope, no choice, you will be stationed where the service needs you, similar to AGS. There is a national transfer policy in draft at the moment. There have been a number of internal movements of interns and newly-qualified Paramedics nearer to home, but this is at the discretion of the service.

4. Anyone can apply for AP training after 3 years qualified at Paramedic level (rumoured to be lowered to 2 years soon), and can then sit assessments for entry to the AP course.

LEMT and higher positions come up every once in a while, depending on the region you are based in this could be frequent depending on staff turnover (i.e. moving to other stations etc.) and again are based on an interview and panel procedure.

coolmoose

Also here's a link to the Emergency Services forum which might be useful reading for anybody thinking of a career as a Paramedic/Garda/FF etc.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1023

coolmoose

Advertisement for Trainee EMT/Student Paramedic is on www.publicjobs.ie at the moment.

Note some changes to entry requirements:

1. You now only need full C1 licence to apply, but you must acquire your full D1 by the time you complete your post-graduate internship (otherwise you will not be offered employment as a Paramedic).

(*This in theory opens up recruitment to 18/19 year olds, as by the time you get offered a place and complete your training, you may be 21 and eligible to apply for the D1 licence)

2. Leaving Cert with 5 passes including Maths and Science (PHECC EMT accepted in lieu of science subject if no LC science); or Leaving cert equivalent (A Levels etc.); or primary degree from a recognised third level institute.

Closing date midnight 7th October 2010

Click here to view/apply

UndertheBridge

Thanks for the great insight OP.

Did you ever come across this blog? Read the book a while back. Thought it gave an amazing insight into the job. Interesting read for those of you who are considering going down the paramedic or even healthcare route!

http://theparamedicsdiary.blogspot.com/

Nonoperational

Great post thanks for taking the time. Admirable job too.

coolmoose

Ya great book, follow that blog regularly. Will post up a few more blog links tomorrow, there's some great reading out there from serving ES personnel.

maesdavid

IS everything in the ambulance sector emergency related int this country

davidawbrown

HI coolmoose,
first may I say I love this thread! just so instructive!

Any ideas when the next recruitment drive is?

Thanks is advance.

Regards
Dave

coolmoose

davidawbrown wrote: »

HI coolmoose,
first may I say I love this thread! just so instructive!

Any ideas when the next recruitment drive is?

Thanks is advance.

Regards
Dave

Hi Dave, only saw this now. There is a planned recruitment drive at some stage this year, with a class of 24 Student Paramedics to enter training in Q3 of this year according to the Education and Competency Assurance Plan for the HSE NAS 2012 - 2014 - see here (page 24)

This plan also predicts training of up to 100 ICOs in this period also.

Hope this helps!

newts

I have a pre exam for a paramedic this wednesday, just wondering if you have any information on what this exam may contain. I am presuming a fair bit of 1st aid questions, but other than that, am not sure. Any info or insight would be great. cheers

Galbin

Hope I am allowed to ressurcet this thread.

I am wondering about the shift patterns. You said: "Shifts are normally 12 hour around the country, covering day and night, usually 8pm-8am or 8am-8pm (some stations do 7-7 or 7.30-7.30). There are also other shifts such as 8am-4pm, 8am-3pm, and 12pm-12am. Normally work 2-3 days and then off for 2-3 days. Again, this depends on the station, the number of crews and workload. The system of "on-call" where you are not on shift but required to respond to calls is being phased out and is not in operation in the region I work in."

Do shifts constantly change or would a person be on say the 8 p.m. - 8 a.m. shift for a few weeks? How often does the timing of the shift pattern change? If a person prefers the less popular shifts (i.e. night shifts), can they elect to stay on those shifts?

Thanks.

BriBriD

Thanks a mill @coolmouse.. You pretty much answered everything I wanted to know!
I know this is a pretty old post, but it'd be great if I could get some feedback!

I'm currently on a gap year from studying science. I have completed first year but am seriously thinking of leaving this course in pursuit of a career as a Paramedic.

I'm have certificates in Infection Control & Manual Handling & Patient Moving & Handling as well as other healthcare related areas (I used to be a Health Care Assistant). I'm just wondering is there any other courses I could do to increase my employment opportunities as a Paramedic? I plan to get my C1 & D1 licenses this year as well as completing a First Aid course along with a PHECC accredited EMT course.

Also, anybody know how often there are recruitment drives?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!