Career help for daughter

[advicefordaughter]

Sorry for misusing AIBU - just posting for traffic on behalf of DD as she wants some advice.

DD(18) wants to be a paramedic, it's her dream career and there's nothing else she wants to do more. She's currently in her final year studying for A levels in psychology, applied science and health & social care (will leave college this summer). She doesn't want to apply for uni this year as she doesn't have any relevant care experience, so she wants to spend the next year or so gaining relevant experience. She's looking at 999 call handler roles for the ambulance service. Would this be the best route to go down? From what we can see these roles don't seem to require any experience as training is offered on the job etc.

Are there any other roles she could look at to gain the relevant experience?

Thank you!

Seems good, although she can also look if there are any ambulance care assistant roles (she needs a driving license) or HCA roles within A&E.

Thanks @Catza, we considered ambulance care assistant roles but she doesn't have a licence yet unfortunately, she's still learning to drive. HCA roles in a&e is a good shout, thank you

It’s an admirable career choice but has many negatives
I would think very carefully about options she has now and look at other careers too
Paramedics see a lot of unpleasant trauma and work very unsocial hours
I think it is a career maybe approached with some life experience and you need very robust mental health
A lot of paramedics end up propping up Gp surgeries or move into remote clinical jobs for a reason
I think it’s good to explore what has attracted her to paramedic science and look at other allied health careers and get some broader experience maybe involving hands on patient contact

@Lockupyourbiscuits thank you, definitely food for thought!

I would argue that any kind of HCA work, care work or support work will be useful. She needs to have good people skills, know how to talk to all kinds of people and diffuse challenging situations. So working with the elderly, those with mental health problems,dementia etc is all good experience. Even things like bar work or door supervisor (bouncer) has transferable skills. She needs to show she can be calm in a crisis but also empathic. She could also consider a short course in paramedic science (take a look a Wrexham uni as one example). Good luck to her.

My friend has moved from a science career to doing a paramedic degree after getting involved with St John's Ambulance.

There are apprenticeships, I'd be looking at going down that route if she doesn't want uni.

My dh is a paramedic and has been for over a decade. It's a very demanding role. Please advise your dd to think very carefully.

Does your dd want kids one day? As a paramedic she will miss out on some Christmas days with them which is awful. And many school events.

The pay for what it is is not good. Dh and practically all his colleagues work overtime which is exhausting for them.

It's traumatic. Dh is currently on the waiting list for counselling. He has to deal with death and sadness every shift and it's so bad for your mental health.

It's not like working for a small company- you are a number to the people at the top. This makes getting time off or whatever a nightmare. Dh genuinely struggled to get the day off for his own wedding day (I wish that was a joke).

Night shifts are really bad for physical and mental health. And again come back to my point on impacting family life.

It's rare to finish on time. Dh can be hours sometimes. Sometimes he ends up in central London because the service is so stretched then he has to drive home (we live by the sea!)

There's the frustrating element of dealing with time wasters / regulars / people who abuse the service.

I could go on endlessly. Dh is adamant our own kids must choose a different profession which I think speaks volumes.

Personally I think hands on care experience is more valuable than call handling, a care assistant doing grunt work and working with all people from all society in lots of different shifts is worth more than being able to manage a script in a call centre. If she can get one in an A&E or acute department even better.

DD is a HCP in what was a very competitive role when NHS degrees for some roles were funded, she got care experience in a hospital and a radiography department and went to a number of conferences on her speciality before applying. She got offers at all her preferred universities.

Husband is a paramedic. Whilst he finds it fulfilling, it is not a job for the faint hearted and many don't last past 5 years due to impact on mental and physical health.

He would suggest looking at ECA - emergency care assistant roles in the ambulance service. This will give her first hand look of what being a paramedic is like and make connections in the sector.
She doesn't just have to look at the uni route, there is a tech to para route - essentially a 2year apprenticeship where they qualify on the job.

My husband wouldn't encourage our kids to follow him. There is def an age limit on the job due to physicality of it - his back and knees are screwed.

To consider:

Positives:

• you are helping people
• fulfilling being able to save people's lives
• can find work in any country

Negatives;

• some harrowing cases, that may result in giving evidence in court. Highly unlikely to receive adequate support to cope with any of it
• in 15 years he has had 1 Xmas day with us. We are used to celebrating milestones etc without him, always at different times
• shift patterns. When the kids were little he barely saw them as he started work hours before the kids got up and got back after they go to bed.
• working mixed shifts caused poor mental health and sleep difficulties which impacted us all
• never finishes a shift on time so a 12 hour shift is realistically 14+. He regularly doesn't get a break and sat on the truck with patients while they que for hours at the hospital with no provisions
• physically very demanding
• expect to be assaulted or threatened

if try to find some hands on experience.
i am nurse in Ed, I work closely with paramedics. We got quite a few hca that went on to do the paramedic training .
as for the call handler , I mean you got to toughen up, but do keep in mind that you can get some very distressing calls . I remember a patient who came in with MH issues and he was traumatised because he had dealt with a call where the person had found the son hanging. And you have to stay on the phone while ambulance get there . It happens more often than we think . I mean there is not right age to deal with it , but I know , after 10 years of Ed I’m much more better equipped to deal with that situation than I would have been at 18, like my patient was . With no training really .