ambulance crew training

whupdedo

Hi I'm wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction about training for a position in the ambulance service,

What's the best course to do, ie, first aid, emergency first responder, emt, i didn't do so well in the leaving but would like to start on a level that would enable me to train to be a paramedic or if not then what would be the best course to do, iv been told to stay away from the lower grades and try and do a training course such as emt rather than the first responder, any advice would be appreciated. Hoping to start towards the end of this year, thanks w

ironclaw

EMT and Paramedic are a serious step up in course and course content. They require a decent amount of hard work and a good deal of study. There is also the commitment of clinical practise etc. If you have zero background on the medical side, I suggest joining the voluntaries and working your way up. You'll gain decent experience both course-wise and actually dealing with people. Anyone can be an EMT on paper but its usually obvious those that have had long term exposure to the the public and dealing with people. And that is a key ingredient in my eyes.

Most voluntaries will train you to EMT with a decent bit of hours logged and at a much lower cost than doing it yourself. Bear in mind however that there is criteria so they won't give you EMT in your first year and you'll be contracted to them for a year or two after. Which is fair given they shoulder a good deal of the cost.

I personally would not recommend going from zero to EMT in one course unless you have had some previous experience.

whupdedo

Great and which organisations take on volunteers readily ?

ironclaw

whupdedo wrote: »

Great and which organisations take on volunteers readily ?

Not sure if we can name names here, but I know for a fact St. John Ambulance train to a high and respectable standard in EMT. Whoever, I must stress, you would probably be looking at two years minimum before you could even be considered for the course. They have a fair and equal manner of awarding the EMT courses to those that give back to the organisation. But they are steadily increasing the number of people they can offer the course too. Also, bear in mind, none of it is paid and you will be expected to remain in the organisation for some time afterwards as a token of them paying for the course. Again which I can say is extremely fair given the huge financial outlay.

Where are you based yourself? Best bet is to send them an email or phone, and get to talk to someone. Great organisation, was there myself for many years but had to leave for work commitments much to my own annoyance. The 'fast track' route would be to join a voluntary and get maybe a years experience 'hands on' And when you are absolutely sure you like it (Remembering the substantial cost of the course both in money and time) you can attain the qualification at your own expense in a variety of centres in Ireland.

whupdedo

That's great i am down in clare, i will contact them and get a bit of info and see what my next step will be, thanks for the info its much appreciated

timmywex

The other organisations are:

Order of Malta
Red Cross
Civil Defence.

All train up to EMT standard, each are slightly different but all carry out voluntary ambulance work. Id say have a look into them all to figure which one suits you best and which one has a unit near you!

D Trent

whupdedo wrote: »

Hi I'm wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction about training for a position in the ambulance service,

What's the best course to do, ie, first aid, emergency first responder, emt, i didn't do so well in the leaving but would like to start on a level that would enable me to train to be a paramedic or if not then what would be the best course to do, iv been told to stay away from the lower grades and try and do a training course such as emt rather than the first responder, any advice would be appreciated. Hoping to start towards the end of this year, thanks w

You may be interested in this course http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057130040

Bang Bang

All good advice above but if your desire is to work in the ambulance service then note that the education is minimum pass Leaving Certificate with Maths. English and a Science subject.

The best of luck for the future.

ironclaw

Bang Bang wrote: »

All good advice above but if your desire is to work in the ambulance service then note that the education is minimum pass Leaving Certificate with Maths. English and a Science subject.

The best of luck for the future.

Out of curiosity, and not applicable to myself, but does that apply if you have sat and passed the relevant courses? I'd consider EMT and Paramedic spec courses above and beyond a Leaving Cert.

Bang Bang

ironclaw wrote: »

Out of curiosity, and not applicable to myself, but does that apply if you have sat and passed the relevant courses? I'd consider EMT and Paramedic spec courses above and beyond a Leaving Cert.

If you gained your Paramedic qualification abroad and got PHECC recognition then you may be able to apply if the service advertised for trained staff, but they haven't done this for a couple of years. The EMT qualification is only applicable to the Intermediate Care Vehicle. Emergency ambulance is minimum Paramedic. To apply for a student paramedic post you require the education standard I mentioned.
As for what happens when the BSc Paramedics qualify, time will tell here but if it's done through the CAO then you will require a leaving cert to go that route. I haven't looked at the programmed in full as yet but anything can happen in the next few years regarding how paramedics will be recruited.

But as for EMT and current Paramedic training being above and beyond the Leaving cert, I doubt it as Paramedic training is one year then internship, a leaving cert is a lot longer. EMT training is much less than both the leaving and paramedic training. But I may be open to correction.

sjb25

ironclaw wrote: »

Out of curiosity, and not applicable to myself, but does that apply if you have sat and passed the relevant courses? I'd consider EMT and Paramedic spec courses above and beyond a Leaving Cert.

If applying to hse as a student paramedic a phecc EMT cert was accepted instead of a science subject and that's all u still need a leaving cert aswell

D Trent

sjb25 wrote: »

If applying to hse as a student paramedic a phecc EMT cert was accepted instead of a science subject and that's all u still need a leaving cert aswell

You're forgetting C1 driving licence

sjb25

D Trent wrote: »

You're forgetting C1 driving licence

Wel yes I was talkin specifically about educational requirements tho I made the panel just been formed and this is what we needed from our candidate booklet "applicants invited to participate: Candidates must at the closing date: (A) Be in possession of a minimum of five passes in the Leaving Certificate Examination at Ordinary Level (or EU academic equivalent), including Mathematics and a Science subject (i.e. Physics, Chemistry or Biology) Exceptions are:-A Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) EMT Certificate is acceptable in lieu of Science subject -A Primary Degree from a recognised third level institution is acceptable in lieu of Leaving Certificate AND (B) Be the holder of a full unendorsed Class C1 Driving Licence on application. (Note UK 101 Restriction, NI 79 (NFHR) Restriction & Irish 78 Restriction is not acceptable) (Please see note below in relation to Class D1 Licence Requirement) PLEASE NOTE: § The minimum five passes in the Leaving Certificate Examination, including Mathematics and a Science subject must be at least at Ordinary Level (or higher e.g. honours). Passes at Foundation level/Applied Leaving Certificate will not be taken into account when determining eligibility. § Educational qualifications obtained from other jurisdictions will be assessed on an individual basis in accordance with University Admissions policies. § Candidate must hold a full unendorsed Class D1 Licence OR secure, at their own expense, as a provision of their contract of employment, a full Class D1 Licence within 12 months of commencement of employment or within 12 months of reaching the age of 21. Failure to meet this mandatory requirement will result in termination of employment, at the discretion of management" so hopefully left noting out

Shield

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