How do I become a Paramedic?

luv123321

I have a huge interest in the ambulance service.
I used to want to be a paramedic but was told that it's not a job I would enjoy and to "aim higher and become a doctor". Someone very close told me this and it put me off the idea for ages! Until about 5-6 months ago the interest sparked up again this time i was on google looking up vacancies, where to learn, which service and the different staff ranks eg. emt or paramedic or adv. paramedic. I would like to work in england for one of the NHS Ambulance service trusts or the London Ambulance. I told my peers this with the response being "why would you do that?, What a ****ty job!," TBH, i dont want to be a doctor - i would find it boring! I would like to make one thing very clear, if i were to become a doctor for the rest of my life i would regret not becoming a paramedic and having a life long interest in the work that i would be doing. At the moment, it's the only job i have and always have had a genuine interest in.

My question is to paramedics/emt's out there - how would i go about becoming a paramedic, where to go, which service, private or hse/dfb run?

BTW - i live in Dublin!

emmet the rover

lots of posts here on this but the long and short
1 get C1 and D1 licence (large van and minibus)
2 join a volunteer ambulance service (order of malta, civildefence, st johns ect) shows experience and intrest
3 wait and wait and wait until the hse begin a recruitmen drive for a new paramedic panel
4 do well hse aptitude test
5 do well in hse interview and medical and garda vetting
6 begin training to become paramedic

no cao paramedic course
no private paramedic course that will allow you to work as a paramedic in ROI
non irish paramedics have to apply to PHECC (governing body) on a case by case basis may be allowed to practice here

seven_eleven

emmet the rover wrote: »

lots of posts here on this but the long and short
1 get C1 and D1 licence (large van and minibus)
2 join a volunteer ambulance service (order of malta, civildefence, st johns ect) shows experience and intrest
3 wait and wait and wait until the hse begin a recruitmen drive for a new paramedic panel
4 do well hse aptitude test
5 do well in hse interview and medical and garda vetting
6 begin training to become paramedic

no cao paramedic course
no private paramedic course that will allow you to work as a paramedic in ROI
non irish paramedics have to apply to PHECC (governing body) on a case by case basis may be allowed to practice here

Pretty much this sums it up. But you will be waiting a long time. Paramedic jobs in Ireland are like gold dust. You would probably have a better chance in the UK, there are quite a few colleges over there that do it. I would only get the C1 licence though. I think most places will include the D licence as part of your training? Correct me if Im wrong. But be warned, getting the C1 is not cheap.


Who told you "not a job you would enjoy"? Sounds like something a moronic school careers guidance teacher would say. Hasnt a clue, why would you aim higher to be become a doctor? They talk like its the same profession. They are miles different. As if they know what you would enjoy anyway.

and to your peer saying its a ****ty job? What does he know? Sounds like a bit of a snob. Paramedic is certainly in the better jobs category, I would regard it as a respectable high class profession. Sure, you have to put up with some shítty aspects (literally) but its great


Join a voluntary ambulance service to get a feel for what its like, but have patience as you wont get a feel for it for maybe a year 2 as you have to start from the very bottom and do lots of training/duties before anything will really happen. Also I would advise you to pick the organisation you join wisely, as some may be very innactive or provide a very poor experience of what its like.

luv123321

Hi! thanks for the replies - seven eleven yes it was career guidance teacher told me that. Anyways, i go to a posh kind of snobby school, you know? I dont think theres anything wrong with becoming a paramedic its just that your in with people who will be aiming to do medicine and law and almost look down on all other jobs which dont require some kind of degree (which i hate everyone should feel free to do and work for whatever they want whether it be a well payed job or not) Besides paramedics arent payed that badly, are they?! Basically they (the school and my peers) think im aiming low but each to their own! Thanks for all the info guys! Thinking of working in the uk because as you said paramedic jobs are like gold dust. I read that the leaving is not really needed to become a paramedic here or in the uk but i still think i might aswell finish what i started! Thanks.

Elessar

At your age I would forget about Ireland. Opportunities are few a far between and the outlook is poor. With the way the economy is and especially the health service I can't see many more opportunities for Paramedic jobs in the near to medium term. Plus the salary has been cut for new entrants.

I would look to the UK and the universities that do Paramedic degree courses. There's one in Liverpool that has your weeks split up between class work and ambulance placement. At the end of it you'll have a degree you can take anywhere and are almost guaranteed a job at the end. At least, the entire 2010 class all got employment with the NHS after their course finished.

Not trying to put a downer on things but a few of my buddies have gone abroad to follow the Paramedic dream and it was the best thing they ever did. If there were more opportunities here it might be different.

seven_eleven

luv123321 wrote: »

Thinking of working in the uk because as you said paramedic jobs are like gold dust. I read that the leaving is not really needed to become a paramedic here or in the uk but i still think i might aswell finish what i started! Thanks.

Well, the leaving cert would still be needed to apply through UCAS for UK. and you will need to be 21 for the C licence which is a requirement for a lot of the courses too. See here for a list of them.

In terms of pay, I dont know exactly. But from the few I know I get a general idea that its not bad pay. Infact Id say its quite good. Not doctors pay, but its more than your average wage. Any paramedics here want to give some input on that?

I was actually talking with some US EMT's the other day. I was shocked to hear that the pay they're on is about €17k a year. They are living on pitance, but they all do it because its a job they love. Thankfully its not the same here.

Just curious op, where do you live?

luv123321

seven eleven - I'm in my final years of school and living in dublin. sad that there is no real jobs for paramedics in ireland but deffo gona give uk a try. thanks

Bang Bang

luv123321 wrote: »

I read that the leaving is not really needed to become a paramedic here

That is incorrect, you DO require a pass Leaving Certificate which must also include a science subject.

stretch00

Hi Luv123321,

Don't write off the Doctor idea. If it's within your academic capbilites, and I'm sure it is, go for it.
There are plenty of opportunites for doctors to work in EMS, not so much in Ireland, but not at all unheard of either. As you've been told by others, there are extremely limited opportunities for a paramedic in Ireland, and that doesn't seem likely to change in the next 3-5 years.

Despite what you hear, the mutiplicity of spine points and pay bands in the UK services mean that the wages aren't too hot their either. There are are a considerable number of doctors working within the ambulance service including hems in the UK, and there are fantastic BASICS and similar schemes. You may also want to specialise in trauma medicine as a speciality.

All in all you could have the very best of both worlds, and more importantly will have many more options and doors open to you.

maglite

Without sounding blunt, if you can do medicine do it. Then you can specilise Pre-hosptial. You will have far more scope as a Doc than a Paramedic.

seven_eleven

Well, Im an avid believer of doing what you're interested in. If you do something you dislike your life is going to become real sh*tty. If you have no interest in Medicine then 7-8 years is a long time of your life to spend studying it :pac:

But hey who knows, maybe you really will like medicine. I find most school students arent even aware of what the careers they're going into are really like. You commonly see this with I.T applicants.