Paramedic (1 Viewer)

[miranda]

Hi all,

Does anyone know how one would become an ambo?

 

[Survivor39]

i don't know. physiotherapy, health science?? lol

 

[Lexicographer]

I read about it in the SMH Health + Science section around two months back. Apparently the best (and possibly cheapest) is a TAFE diploma in paramedical science (or similarly named course) and then service training. However, in my biochemistry tute is a girl who has gone an alternate path. She tells me that during year 12 and this year (first year uni) she volunteered and paid her way through training at St John's, now she's a paid paramedic and a full time biomedical sciences student.

Ask your local TAFE and/or St John's Ambulance service branches for information.

 

[~Dreamer]

hey, csu offers a health science degree in paramedic, its like 2years full time and ur third year is work eperience. they also offer a paramedic-nursing degree.

 

[Lexicographer]

Oh I forgot about that, they mentioned CSU too.

There are very few university-based degrees designed for paramedical care though.

 

[mack]

I'd recommend CSU's double degree in Nursing/Clinical Practice. I'm considering this too actually.

Might I ask, have you seen how bad some of the things you will have to face can be? I've watched training videos and seen a few incidents in real life, and I can say it is absolutely horrifying. Not to discourage you or anything, but you will have to have a stomach of absolute steel.

 

[thejosiekiller]

yeah that would be a concern- youd really have to want to do it and be helpful

 

[inasero]

I'd recommend CSU's double degree in Nursing/Clinical Practice. I'm considering this too actually.

Might I ask, have you seen how bad some of the things you will have to face can be? I've watched training videos and seen a few incidents in real life, and I can say it is absolutely horrifying. Not to discourage you or anything, but you will have to have a stomach of absolute steel.

trust me all the blood and guts mean nothing after a while...you get desensitised...i dont even think twice before going into the dissection room

ogrish.com doesnt even disgust me anymore

 

[mack]

Well you are right(I'm also in the desensitised club), but still, if you've never seen this stuff before you're going to be in for a huge shock.

Ogrish doesnt disgust me either anymore. It's still alot different dealing with it in the flesh though.

 

[Lexicographer]

Ogrish never disgusted me...rotten is same old same old.

 

[mack]

I never knew you guys had been to those sites....

 

[kimmeh]

I thought they advertised for traineeships and its really hard to get accepted

 

[mack]

It's becoming harder and harder to get in without a degree, but it is still possible. However you can only reach level 1 and 2 out of 4 levels. Higher levels=Higher salary, authority and can administer more drugs etc.

 

[bex]

csu has a couple of degrees with paramedics.. try here:

Bachelor of Clinical Practice (paramedics)
http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/ug/hea/cpp/ or
Bachelor of Nursing / Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic) [double degree]
http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/ug/hea/nur_cpp/

also, an advantage of these courses is that right from the end of first semester first year, you do a required 2 weeks prac so youre not thrown into the deep end once that piece of paper is in your hand.

 

[~Dreamer]

I'd recommend CSU's double degree in Nursing/Clinical Practice. I'm considering this too actually.

if you know whats good for you, you will come to csu.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

A guy I went to school with does the Paramedic/Nursing double at CSU and he loves it. They do lots of practical placements and hands on stuff, and apparently it is the easiest way to get an ambo job, the other paths are a lot more complicated.

 

[Cab31]

Hey all, just copyed this from another post i made, it sort of fits here more.
Oh yeah, and just some extra things, there was some talk about having to have your light ridgid licence, u dont, u only need your P's, u cant do ride alongs untill your 18 but theres people in the course who are underage, i was when i started. Just some extra stuff on the "stomach of steel" stuff, its a bit difficult to explain, and please get in touch with me on the below contact details, but when your at a scene in a big ambulance with flashy lights and sirens with your rubber gloves on and all of that, or even if you find someone in a world of pain when your out doing your thing, and theres stuff u know how to do that has to be done NOW to save someone, some sort of natural responce kicks in and you do what has to be done, its like you dont have time to poo your pants (i toned that down a bit cause i think theres words im not allowed to say). then after a couple of adreniline hits it stops being freaky and starts being interesting. The first time i saw rotten i couldnt look, now i go there to look at the wounds and look how i would stop the bleeding. Im not sure if anyone understands, or theres anyone with a bit more experience than me who can back me up, but thats how i see it, ne way, heres that stuff i copyed, also theres contact details at the bottom.


Hey kids, I'll patronise you with the "hey kiddies" cause im a big uni student now. lol. I'm doing the new paramedics course in Bris, at QUT, bit different to the bachelor of clinical practice but along the same lines (this one is a bachelor of health science (paramedics)). Cant say ne thing but good stuff about it. I got a UAI of 84 and got in, but i think i just kinda scraped in. Its an unreal degree and if your tempted i would definatly recomend it.

The main worry people have is not knowing if they will be able to handle blood and gore of it all. They teach you some methods of coping with it and how to not let it hit you on that level, but if you want a bit more of an idea of how you will do with it all you can go on a ride along with a crew, ur just a 3rd officer so u cant touch the patient or anything just carry bags and stuff (although some crews will get you to do whatever they think your capible of, and i got to drive, so much fun.... another story). ne way, they let u do ride alongs in QLD, not sure about NSW, if your interested go to your local station and talk to the officer in charge, tell them who you are and what your hoping to do and theres a good chance they are keen to let you get a taste for it, ambos are the biggest ledgends you'll ever meet. Its not like they have to let you go along though, and i think they are actually only suposed to take family or friends, maybe even only family, so how are you at begging??? Luck.

there was some talk about notetaking earlyer, which was another one of my chief concerns going into uni too. Not sure how different unis do it, but at QUT you can download the lecture beforehand, even the morning of the lecture, and print it off, then you have all the slides and stuff and just write in anything extra they say. thats what most ppl do, it saves alot of writing and if you have a 3 hour lecture, or two 2 hour lectures back to back, u dont want to be writing for the whole time, kills your hand, not to mention your brain.

more paramedic specific, again im not sure how they do it at other unis, but here there is paramedic specific courses, which are pretty much just a really advanced first aid, then Bioscience, and Public health subjects in the first year, moving on to more or the paramedic specific courses later on and less of the public health. Im not really sure what else ppl would want to know, ill leave my details at the bottom, so stalk me if you want, or get in touch with me if you want any more info, have ne questions or just want to hear more of what its like, crazy stories or where to buy beer at uni (there was a need for a lame joke there, dont deny it) i'd be welcome to help out ne way i can.

Peace,
Casey
paraletic paramedic (we got ourselves a bit of a reputation)

Details:
Casey Lewis,
email and msn: casey_lewis [AT] hotmail [DOT] com
mob: [removed by moderators]

Lexicographer edit: Email obfuscated, telephone number removed. You can PM her for that.

hey i go to QUT too! Did u just start this year? if so, we probably have subjects together because i am doing podiatry and Human movement - and theymake us do dodgy contemporary public health!

 

[Ribbon]

Ummn hate to burst some of your bubbles but if your talking about NSW you are wrong.

Well on some things your right - they do offer traineeships, starting salary is about $35k a year and there are no prerequisite qualifications but they do get a couple of thousand applicants for only 10-15 places each year (figures could be off slightly but its something like that).

If you are going in as a trainee you DO need your medium light rigid license, my sister (who got in as a trainee and has been working for nearly a year now with NSW ambo) had to get hers, and although you know you 'have the job' you cannot start your training until you get it. I assume its different if your doing a degree (junior04 - you talked about doing ride-a-longs at 18?!) but to get in as a trainee they really wont consider anyone thats younger than 20-21. You dont have to have a degree but your chances of getting in as a trainee without one are pretty slim just because of how many people apply.

PS - I just realised you said your from bris which explains the differences!

 

[junior04]

Ummn hate to burst some of your bubbles but if your talking about NSW you are wrong.

Well on some things your right - they do offer traineeships, starting salary is about $35k a year and there are no prerequisite qualifications but they do get a couple of thousand applicants for only 10-15 places each year (figures could be off slightly but its something like that).

If you are going in as a trainee you DO need your medium light rigid license, my sister (who got in as a trainee and has been working for nearly a year now with NSW ambo) had to get hers, and although you know you 'have the job' you cannot start your training until you get it. I assume its different if your doing a degree (junior04 - you talked about doing ride-a-longs at 18?!) but to get in as a trainee they really wont consider anyone thats younger than 20-21. You dont have to have a degree but your chances of getting in as a trainee without one are pretty slim just because of how many people apply.

PS - I just realised you said your from bris which explains the differences!

Yeah, im not sure bout the NSW system, in QLD u just need your "C" class licence (not automatic) whichever way u go.

A couple of my mates from this course got in to the traineeship program but the paramedics who are teaching us say its better to go through the internal, u get a degree that way and paramedics is heading the way of nursing, external training and tertiary level qualifications. Then again, the internal dont end up with a HECS debt, and they get paid, and if they upgrade to the uni level qualification then they get 75% of their HECS paid off that course. I just made myself sad. nah, im happy im doing it this way, i probly wouldnt get into the internal, and this way gives us some really good foundation training. sort of either or case, both would be fun.

 

[junior04]

oh yeah, and about the age thing, they let heaps younger ppl into the uni course then the internal. The internal is really hard to get into, and u have to be at least 21 or so before they will even look at your aplication. but we get all the same tests eventually, they just keep us guessing for a bit longer as to if we will get in or not.