St John's Ambulance-has anyone volunteered with them? Lowdown, please

[Fillyjonk]

I haven't really got a justification for yet another thread about My Brilliant Career but please humour me

What is the training like, what sort of commitment do they (realistically) expect, and is it useful, cv enhancing stuff.

Oh and is it fun?

i did it as a teenager and was a nursing cadet.

training is usaually 1 or 2 nights a week plus whatever events and competitions you're needed for. it is really usefull stuff and looks brilliant on a cv to have done it but it is quite tough..... mostly the actual volunteering as there can be some very scary harrowing experiances.

when i was 14 i was on duty at a carnival and was tending a lad my own age having drug induced seizures.... not what other kids my age did that weekend!

and you'll have to do boring crap like stand around the streets getting abuse from drunks to collect money, they are a charity after all.

alll in all though it was a good experiance and i'm certainly thinking about going back to it when the kids are older and i can give it some time

one or two nights a week ?

every week?

oh bugger can't do that, could do every weekend but not every week

am good at collecting money though

check with your local branch what nights they hold training as it varies from branch to branch and depends how heavily involved you need to be.

also, be warned, they're as anal as the army about uniforms and drilling!

oh gawd really?

am feeling unenthusiastic

but you do learn first aid, yes?

wtf is "drilling", please?

'ATTENTION!'
'AT EASE!'
'FALL IN!'
'RIGHT DRESS!'
'ABOUT TURN!'

and all my friends were off getting drunk.......... actaully, now i'm tarting to wonder why i did it.

won some competitions though, and they go all out on those and use make up to do really cool injuries

and you can do other stuff as well as the first aid like home nursing, radio communications and some other stuff i didn't do.......

Used to be V V into this (and guiding- had a uniform fetish LOL)

All the attention stuff made me PMSL- used to get a drills argent type to come in once a year to prepare us for assessment!1 Ah, memories

SJAB is fine, a good anme with a lot of respect. I could tell you stuff that's make yer toes curl but no more than many of the other organisations I have volunteered for. And they do stunning work, often under recognised.

Have treated a few cases in my time- a drunk went through a window, and the bugger (uninsured) who drunk drove and wrote of fmy car.

PT I got the grand prior did you? And I Did the casualty simularion make up- excellent fun!

OMG

um

I am uncertain as to whether my face would fit here

omg

omg

um

i only won local comps.... i didn't stick around for long enough once i was fully trained, my team went to the all ireland but i had given up at that point

the drilling had me in stitches too, gotin so much trouble for the uncontrollable laughing

the assesment was great fun alright.......

bit creepy having the length of my skirt that closely evaluated! and i'm amazed i held it together during the drill inspection!

Filly wouldn't worry i'm a bit of a lentil weaver at heart too, I survived 8 years of it They're prettya ccepting (and we're talking about the cadets- well in my case a few years ago! I presume they'll have lightened up a hit LOL)

Oh- the best bit was the annual camping trip.

filly i'm quite lentilly and idn't mind it so í'm sure you'd be fine!

peachy... we never got camping, just the dodgy co-ed xmas disco which was just tastic

I think its different for an adult member, not so disciplined otherwise nobody would stay. We wear uniform for duties and maybe once a month. We don't do much drilling at all, only before a special event eg cathedral service, maybe once or twice a year. For us its one evening a week for training and whatever you can fit in with your other commitments for duty cover. If you like it you can do the first aid at work course as well as the inhouse training each week. Its worth a try to see if you like it.

co-ed camping dontha know?

I ahd my only one night stand and got pissed for the first time on one too

Me and my mate (a chap) were much smaller / lightweight than the others- a feloow young adult got us totally pissed on schnapps, took us (about 20 of us) to the beach; after I tried pier waling decided to go back- J and I got past security, sat on a bench in the marquee- marquee full of adults and senior types (like we weren't adult- we were 19) looked at each other and passes out simultaneously, ttakin the bench with us as we went LOL pmsl at the memory

i've got a brilliant mental pic of that now peachy, lol

Funnily enough we got away with it LOL

I'm sure they're a reputable organisation really

What about red Cross first aiders, they might not be as regimented