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Part of the accident and emergency service, paramedics work mainly for a local ambulance service within the National Health Service, responding to 999 and other urgent calls.

On arrival at the scene of an accident, they assess the situation and take decisions quickly about emergency treatment and movement of the patient. They may work alone on a motorcycle or as part of a rapid response unit; alternatively, they may drive an ambulance, working alongside a technician. Paramedics are trained to use advanced life support techniques and can administer a range of drugs for emergency treatment. Emergencies can range from minor injuries to serious casualties in a major terrorist incident or road or rail accident.

Entry level

Although entry levels vary, you will find that most ambulance services recruit entrants initially as ambulance care assistants, offering internal promotion and further training as an ambulance technician. Some services offer direct entry programmes for ambulance technicians and some have cadet schemes.

To progress to paramedic training, you should normally be over 21 and you must have worked for at least a year as an ambulance technician. You must pass an entrance examination and be able to drive both C1 and D1 vehicles.

Some services ask for two A levels/H grades as evidence of your academic ability; others require at least four GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3) or equivalent. It is sometimes possible for graduates to gain direct entry to ambulance technician trainee positions. There is also a degree course in paramedic science at the University of Hertfordshire and similar provision at Oxford Brookes University.

Whatever your educational qualifications, experience of dealing with the public, especially the sick, disabled and elderly, is valuable. A first-aid certificate could be helpful, as could experience of driving a large vehicle.

Making the grade

As a trainee ambulance technician, you would take an intensive 20-week course in pre-hospital emergency care, physiology and anatomy and emergency driving. You would then be assigned to an ambulance station to work under supervision for up to one year. Your extensive technician skills would include resuscitation, haemorrhage control and wound care, structure management and spinal injury care. You would also have to pass the written and practical examinations set by the national awarding body for ambulance qualifications.

To qualify as a paramedic, you must follow an additional intensive training course lasting 10 to 12 weeks. This consists of a mixture of theory and practical clinical experience, including several weeks in hospital departments such as the operating theatre, coronary care unit and accident and emergency department. Subjects studied include anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and advanced patient assessment. After passing your final assessment, you must register with the Health Professions Council, attend regular training and reassessment and re-qualify every three years.

Personal qualities

As a paramedic, you would need to stay calm while dealing with life and death situations, to be highly skilled, quick thinking and decisive at the same time as providing a reassuring environment for the patient and relatives. You must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a serious interest in the care and well-being of patients, and the academic ability to cope with examinations. You would also need to be physically fit and emotionally resilient.