Currently the ambulance service is changing the way in which you can become a Paramedic. Traditionally Paramedics would work their way up the chain starting in Patient Transport Service before moving onto Emergency Medical Technician (approx 6 weeks IHCD training) and finally Paramedic (approx 6 weeks IHCD training) completed over at least 2 years. Now however training is done in a higher education environment either at University or (if currently employed by the ambulance service) through the Open University.

A decription of the Paramedic role can be found here

Universities offering courses through UCAS can be found here

A list of Health Professions Council approved courses can be found here. Part time courses are only available to those currently employed by the ambulance service and some of the courses listed are no longer running.

Some ambulance trusts also offer student paramedic courses without going directly to university. These can be searched for here

Volunteering

When applying for a Paramedic Course whether through university or direct to the Ambulance Service they often like you to have some form of experience of working in the health care sector. Work with the elderly and children can be useful as these are often clients of the ambulance service. You may also want to volunteer with St John Ambulance, the Red Cross or as a Community First Responder. Below is a list of websites that may help you get experience:

NHS careers

Volunteer database

British Red Cross

St John Ambulance

St Andrews Ambulance

Mind

Scope

Deaf Blind UK

British Heart Foundation

Cancer Research UK

Sudden Adult Death

Rainbow Trust

Vitalise

Useful to Research

One thing they will scrutinise in interview is your knowledge of the ambulance service and legislation that affects it. The following websites are useful to look at for an overview of the ambulance service:

Health Professions Council These are the guys that regulate Paramedics and who you must be registered with to call yourself a Paramedic. On this website there are documents such as the Standards of Proficiency and Standards of Conduct Performance and Ethics. It also has a list of hearings that are useful to read through to see what can get your disicplined / struck off.

Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee These guys set out the guidelines Paramedics practice using. You don't really need to know much about them at interview but its nice to have a knowledge of their existance.

Department of Health A really important website for getting information on legislation and reports affecting Paramedic practice and the ambulance service in general. Good searchs to do include 'Ambulance' and 'Paramedic' also where you can find the Bradley Report which is a must know for interview!

Other things to research includes the roles of Paramedics and a knowledge of other people who work in the ambulance service. Also current news in relation to the ambulance service.

Benking116

Name of University: Northampton

Year of potential entry: 2009

Format of day: Talk by Lecturers, Split into two groups, one group had a tour of the Uni, Interview, other group had interviews, and then I presume a tour of the Uni.

Format of interview: 2 - 1 (Ambulance Service Staff & Uni Staff)

Type of questions asked: Why you want to be a Paramedic? What do you know abot the ambulance service and the role of an ECP? Have you read up on important events; tell me about them. If 100 calls in a day, How many are life threatening Injuries? Good Skills you have, Bad skills that might hinder you.

Were certificates etc needed?: Passport Photo, Proof of ID

Overall view of interview and day: Was very relaxed, felt very at ease. Allows you to show if you have read up on the subject and how much you want it. Tour was good from a 3rd year Para Sci student, I would advise asking lots of questions.

Benking116

Name of University: Worcester

Year of potential entry: 2009

Format of day: General Intro to University, discussion about the course, option for questions. Literacy and numeracy test. Then split into two groups, and based on pre-course info sent out then a discussion ensued on the article. following a short break, then writing an essay on the group discussion. Lunchtime, then a 2-1 Interview

Format of interview: Group / 2 - 1 (Ambulance Service Staff & Uni Staff)

Type of questions asked: Why you want to be a paramedic, What would you find difficult about the course, how you would cope with a stressful situation. Why Worcester? Strengths and weaknesses of yourself.

Were certificates etc needed?: Passport/Driving Licence, all orig Ed Certificates, Passport photo.

Overall view of interview and day: Was very relaxed, felt very at ease. Allows you to show if you have read up on the subject and how much you want it. uring group discussion make sure you have your say, don't sit back and not say anything. During 2-1 Interview then ask lots of questions, be ethusiastic. Pre interview Read the Bradley Report and have a sound understanding of it.

Laurence753

Name of University: Greenwich

Year of potential entry: 2009

Format of day: Split into 2 groups. First group has interviews in morning then numeracy and literacy tests in afternoon. Second group has tests in morning, interview in afternoon.

Format of interview: 2 staff : 1 applicant

Type of questions asked: Literacy test was multiple choice. You get an example numeracy before the interview in your invitation. Interview you are asked why you want to be a paramedic, what do you think the role of a paramedic is, what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, explain a current issue in the healthcare system, and, after being told that this is the most important question... why you?

Were certificates etc needed?: Yes. Educational and driving licence.

Overall view of interview and day: I got a really good impression of Greenwich. Got shown round by a para sci student who seemed to genuinely enjoy the course and said they were on good, first name, terms with their tutors. Although I got the impression she didn't like her hall-mates. Thought everything seemed well organised.

Benking116

Name of University: Bournemouth

Year of potential entry: 2009

Format of day: Talk by lecturers, then split into groups for a group task. Another small talk, then another group task.

Format of interview: Group

Type of questions asked: None asked, observed in group settings.

Were certificates etc needed?: Passport Photo

Overall view of interview and day: Was a good day, was disappointed with some aspects. Hard to advise on how the day went, but they will let us know very quickly. As mentioned before, reading up on the Bradley Report would be an advisable move.

Driving

When applying for a job with an Ambulance trust, whether after graduating or direct entry, they will expect you to have the C1 category on your driving licence. Many Paramedic graduates without C1 on their licence find themselves relatively unemployable.

The universities vary on their requirements when it comes to driving. Some will require you to get your C1 and give you blue light training (increasing your employability on graduation), some just require a driving licence and others don't require you be able to drive. Whether or not the university requires you to have C1 on your licence it is highly recommened to gain it prior to starting at university.

It is also almost essential to take a car or motorcycle with you to university so that you can get to placements which may be some distance away or start /finish at odd times.

Family

Many potential students with family and children will worry about whether or not they will be able to balance studying to become a paramedic with family time. Although the courses are quite intensive and very time consuming those currently on university paramedic courses have found it manageable and each has come up with their own way way of coping. As a paramedic student you will be doing long days at university and long ambulance shifts at varying times of day and night and so time management will become a very important skill.

Placements

As part of your training you will be expected to do various placements. These will be both on ambulances and in hospitals and most universities will expect you to do at least 1500 hours on placement. When on placement you will be expect to do the same hours as the staff working there and should be given a mentor who's shifts you will be expected to do.

The 'Non-Uni' Route

Many ambulance trusts are now setting up their own student paramedic courses. These will vary from trust to trust but usually include you being paid approx £17-£20k a year during your two or three years training. Although the title is 'non-uni' many of these courses do include university work and will give you some form of higher education qualification at the end of them. These courses are usually run in a more traditional way with students doing a certain number of weeks training before initially going out on the road as a crew and then completing the rest of the course within the alloted time frame.

This is a good route in to the ambulance service for those who may have other commitments that mean they aren't able to take the pay drop of going to university. They also offer the added advatage of working as part of a crew before you are the one in clinical control.

However, most of these courses require the applicant to have had a full car driving licence for at least 2 years and to have full C1, therefore, these courses may not be suitable for younger applicants.

Alternatives

Many people find that their route to becoming a paramedic is blocked by the fact they are unable to obtain a C1 licence. This doesn't mean you definatly can't become a Paramedic it will just make it a lot harder.

Paramedic Although a lot of university courses require C1 as an entry requirement some do not. If you can't get C1 then you may be able to do the university course and work for a private company. However, before taking this route research is vital. You will need to find companies that will take you and you will need to ensure that the Health Professions Council will register you.

Nursing Nursing can often be a good alternative career. It offers a wide range of opportunities and large amounts of career progression. If you want to work in the emergency environment then doing an adult nursing degree before working in A&E may be for you. Many universities offer nursing degrees and jobs are always being advertised online.

Voluntary Ambulance Service If you decide on an alternative career then working for a voluntary ambulance service may give you your pre-hospital fix. Organisations such as St John Ambulance and the Red Cross offer volunteers a wide range of opportunities from first aiding at events, through to working on ambulances, through to being a community first responder. Some areas of St John Ambulance also offer full-time paid work on ambulances.

Ambulance Control Ok so its not front line work but to work in ambulance control you don't need to drive. You will usually start off as a call taker before moving on to dispatch the ambulances. There is a lot of potential for career development and in some cases there is the opportunity to gain qualifications such as NVQs. It also allows you to be actively involved in the ambulance service and really make a difference to people lives.