The EPS contract is manpower only, with a view to complete takeover of services in the future. Workload is comparatively low compared to western services, however can be just as busy. Equipment is sorely lacking (several times staff have had to threaten not to respond in order to get basic safety equipment such as gloves supplied), vehicles are old and worn out (many are over 400,000km), basically the whole organization is run down to the point of not being mission capable. For one of the wealthiest per head of capita nations in the world the Emiratis should hang their collective heads in shame at how poorly funded their EMS service is, this is not a third world country where resources are scarce.
laziness and avoidance of responsibility are integral part of Arab culture (if the words “racist’ or “stereotype’ are forming in your head then you have clearly never lived or worked with Arab nations) and this service is no different, be prepared to take the fall for whatever issue is occurring, many staff have discovered a week later when a formal complaint has been placed and your summoned for a meeting. Oh and forget any sort of support or defense from NA, the client is always right. Several staff have been punished and even removed from the EPS contract to pander to the delicate local egos, right and wrong is not a factor. Anyone who brings up an issue is labeled as a complainer and a trouble maker, most staff don’t bother anymore because NA offers only lip service support, and will often sweep issues under the carpet to avoid ruffling feathers and admitting there is a problem (NHS anyone?). There is also an inevitable backlash from EPS Police staff that their shortcomings are being bought to light.
The expat clinical staff in general are well trained and educated, and want to be professionals. The systems (and lack thereof) in place here makes that extraordinarily difficult, and the difference in attitudes from day one to as little as six months is startling. Burnout and excessive alcohol consumption are commonplace (in the UAE in general), and focus quickly turns to watching your finances grow in order to justify what your putting yourself through. It is a hard fact that you require decompression time in this industry, add to that a completely new and alien environment and the utterly bizarre manner in which things operate in this region and you need even more. The 4x4 (4 days, 4 off, 4 nights 4 0ff etc etc) roster could enable you to have this, however with CME, the “contractual hours” debacle (see below), and various other “voluntary, but we expect you to go” meetings etc it is rare to have a set of days off that is actually your own.
Leave (on EPS) is 35 days a year. Except it’s not. Your days off are factored into your leave and you are only permitted to take blocks of 7 days (4 days on-leave, 3 of your days off are then counted as leave to make up 7 days). You are also only allowed to have one Paramedic off at any one time at 2 of the 3 stations which drastically limits your options. This system has never been sufficiently explained, NA blame the Police, the Police say they don’t care, and their staff are able to apply for single days off and receive a 45 day allowance, draw your own conclusions.
Money is ok, but not good by any stretch when considering other contract work in the region. There is effectively no overtime. By far the most attractive quality was the 4x4 roster on the eps contract, (which “was good while it lasted, but we all knew it wasn’t going too” according to the director) however now all ops staff are being forced to work “contractual hours” of 48 per week, which is causing some confusion as it is not actually stated in anyone’s contract. The 4x4 was pushed as one of the big pluses, and indeed was a deciding factor for coming here, the majority of staff feel betrayed, bullied into accepting this, with the prevailing sentiment being “why complain they won’t listen, and those who have have been blacklisted”. This issue has affected almost every operational staff member across the company, with rosters and “contract hours” being thrown into total upheaval and removed any illusion of job security and stability. A recent staff satisfaction survey was emailed out. The survey, boldly stating anonymous, was:
1. Linked to your work email
2. Requested your age and sex
3. Requested your contract
4. Requested your length of service with the company
5. Awarded several gifts to randomly submitted submitters, who were then named in the company newsletter.
I will let you be the judge of how anonymous that makes it.
The EPS and airport/HEMS/training contracts allow you to live in Abu Dhabi with family and maintain a more normal lifestyle than more common weeks or months on/off contracting which is a big plus for family life. The CICPA contract is two weeks on/off, plus 6 weeks unpaid on call a year, living in a shared villa with two others and has no family provision. Housing is generally of good quality (in so far as building quality and UAE is concerned)
HR is generally considered to be a nightmare by everyone who isn’t in HR, getting a straight answer out of them is near impossible, and woe betide the employee that takes issue with their decisions. We do not receive payslips, they must be specifically requested, and have only total amount’s, no breakdown of hours/dates so as to keep track of overtime etc (not that that’s an issue anymore). Overtime is supposed to be paid in the next months pay, however this has regularly been delayed, occasionally in excess of three months. Flights are another issue, with the cheapest option as a benchmark regardless of such trivialities as a twelve hour layover in the middle of an 8 hour flight.
The training department has very little to offer experienced western medics, overworked and orientated chiefly at maintaining CME points for licenses (BLS, ACLS etc) and trying to bring nonwestern EMT’s up to standard. There are some passionate and very good people in that department, alas they work for a company that does not have any interest in training, just ticking boxes. Courses are completed in your own time and unpaid. Certs are withheld by the company (no reasonable explanation has ever been given for this), if requested they will issue you with an internal NA cert, not the official AHA etc cert.
Many staff with families have discovered that they are no better off here than in the UK due to living costs and quite frankly daylight robbery preschool/ education and related costs. Whilst there is no income tax this country certainly makes up for it in other areas, i.e. the “tourism tax” that sees the cost of your night out rise by around 20%. You can do it cheap, but overall living costs are not low here, particularly if you are living the expat lifestyle.
Medical insurance is poor and not what was promised, it also seems to deteriorate with every renewal. It does not cover any of the major hospitals, even in the event of workplace injuries. There is a pay up front with the promise of reimbursement, however according to staff that have been through it this process is laborious and in no way guaranteed.
There is an underlying feeling amongst many that NA wasn’t being entirely honest when pitching the deal of a lifetime, which quite frankly lays the groundwork for most of your future dealings with them. Unsurprisingly many staff are looking for alternatives, and many more wish they hadn’t come.
For your own sake, talk to people who work here, make an informed decision. If you’re from the NHS it may well seem like a breath of fresh air (for a time), but you may well find the same attitudes you hoped to leave behind have been imported directly here. But hey, “just look at the view” as the HR director is so fond of saying. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
