Help? Advice??

kvdm

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I'm 27, left the Air Force about 3 years ago to establish a new career (which isn't exactly working out as planned!). Most of my background is in engineering, yet with my appalling lack of formal qualifications (the Air Force didn't see fit to cross-credit our training into recognised qualifications) I am struggling to find any meaningful work.
I really enjoy helping people and having been a volunteer firefighter for the last 18 months, I know I really want a role full-time in emergency services. Been to multiple serious MVA's where I ended up doing some pretty full-on first aid until the ambo's could get on scene. I love my role with the Fire Service, but can't work out how to make something like this a full-time reality.
Here's the catch:
- I am not physically capable of becoming a paid permanent firefighter (back injury - we don't have to pass fitness tests as volunteers, and as physically fit as I am I know I would struggle with the permanents fitness test).
- Positions as paid permanent ambo's in NZ, to my knowledge, are very few and far between. Like the Fire Service, approximately 90% of staff are volunteers so competition to get the paid positions is quite strong. I might be wrong in this knowledge however? This is what I have always been told.
- I would like to earn & learn at the same time, rather than be in full-time study for 3 years before getting a job (I've been unemployed for about a year, studying part-time to try & improve my job prospects)

We have the ability to move overseas if it would be possible, and we're both rather keen to move overseas if I'm honest.
I stumbled on this forum by chance & I was just wondering if anyone had any advice or suggestions for me to look into. I have considered taking on a generic job & volunteering until I'm qualified, then applying for a permanent paramedic role if/when it comes up. Any thoughts?

I appreciate your help. Thanks in advance.
 

Clare

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Emergency Medical Technician is either a Diploma in Paramedic Science (AUT) or the Diploma in Ambulance Practice (St John) and Paramedic is the BHSc through either AUT or Whitirea. You might get a paid position as an EMT with DipPSc or NDAP but yeah, competition is pretty stiff (especially in Auckland) and I've been told that St John only (wherever possible) wants to hire BHSc graduates to go through the internship process and get ATP at Paramedic.

And 90% of ambulance personnel are not volunteers, it's closer to 50% now and in Auckland, we have full paid crewing except for City 3 and I think Papakura 2 or something on the weekends. Sometimes two volunteers will make up, for example, Rosedale 4 but that's the exception vs. a rule.

I remember being told that the only ambulance service in the world that still does the old "apprentice" style is Ambulance Service of NSW. Everybody else has moved towards the degree model.

Why don't you join St John as a First Responder and get on the NDAP? It's not hard and you can do it while you work somewhere else (even if it's just at The Warehouse or something) then you can finish the degree in two years full-time or the equivalent part-time via extramural then apply for the internship program in Auckland (and by then, some other places like Auckland, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Hastings will be on-board too).
 
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kvdm

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Thanks for the information. It's good to hear they are planning to open up more opportunities through other centers too; it always surprised me that with the medical school being in Dunedin there really isn't many (any?) para-medicine study opportunities in the South.
Cheers :)
 

Clare

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The internship program to transition somebody from being a graduate to gaining ATP at Paramedic will become available in more locations, but you will still need to have the degree, which is available only through AUT or Whitirea. The additional locations for the internship will be limited to metropolitan or large urban centres with sufficient workload and access to Clinical Support Officers; for example in the south I'd imagine it would be Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.

If you want to become a paid Paramedic in New Zealand in the twenty-first century, you need the degree. There is no way around it and nor should there be. Due to the complexities of clinical placements the degree will, as far as I see, always only be available in Auckland and Wellington. Yes, people who are working as an EMT will be able to complete the degree via distance learning part-time but again, you're going to need to be working in a large urban centre that has access to the workload and Clinical Support Officers. I know of people who are working down in the Coromandel and have to regularly travel to Auckland to do clinical placements. If you're in the South then I imagine you'd have to be in Nelson, Christchurch or Dunedin. Timaru or Greymouth just ain't going to have the workload to support your learning.

My best advice is this: if you want to be a paid Paramedic you are going to need the degree. The fastest and most efficient way to get said degree is to move to Auckland or Wellington and study full time. An acceptable alternative is to join St John as a First Responder and gain the National Diploma and work while you do it if you need the money. Once you have the National Diploma you are going to be best served again, by moving to Auckland or Wellington and completing the remainder of the degree. If you are in the south then I imagine Wellington would be best. I don't know what the internship program will look like in the future, I know it will be offered in more places, but, does that mean you can pick where you go or that you will simply nominate a preference and get assigned somewhere like in Australia or how ACE works for House Officers? I don't know. And I think that's immaterial anyway. The bottom line is if you want a paid position as a Paramedic then you need the degree. Period. Either that, or go back to the Air Force and gain the degree through them as the military now use the BHSc (Paramedic) rather than the old DipMM.

All the best.
 
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kvdm

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Sorry I didn't mean to imply I don't want to do the degree. I think that having a degree as a paramedic is absolutely essential. I would simply prefer to be able to break up class time with practical work (I'm a hands-on type learner, but I can do university level study).
You're right, going through St Johns as a First Responder is probably the best way forward.
Thanks again.
 
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