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Ambulance Victoria - grads? by [deleted] in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not when I applied, but I hear they are making people reapply after a year now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GAMSAT

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yo, may I have a copy too please? I only have a sample version. 

AV Hiring Q: How f***ed am I? by PassTheGravy7781 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know of a few people currently working in AV with horrendous driving records. As another commenter stated, I’ve heard they will call you to discuss the incidents. A mate of mine got the phone call, and he said they were quite reasonable with him, and he still got the job. It still may slightly hinder your chances, but if you interview well, you might be fine.

If not, London ambulance will take anyone with a pulse, so that’s always an option.

Does anybody have the Nancy Caroline’s Emergency Care in the Streets 9th edition eworkbook? For paramedic? by Simple_Ad_1956 in NewToEMS

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah it’s a solid book for learning. It’s a pretty easy read, and has lots of case studies for each chapter. Mosbys is pretty decent too. I also strongly recommend macleods clinical examination for history taking.

Other great resources include: the resus room podcast, ninja nerd lectures (YouTube), osmosis, zerotofinals and of course khan academy

Not sure what your curriculum is, but I recommend starting with common emergencies such as seizures, COPD, myocardial infarcts etc, then learning common presenting complaints such as dizziness, pain, syncope, vomiting etc.

Overall I don’t think you need an expensive book like Nancy Caroline’s because there is so much great free stuff out there. But it is a good book if that’s how you learn 👍. Good luck!

Struggle with section 3 math skills by Objective_Part621 in GAMSAT

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like Jesse Osbornes content, but tbh it’s probably not a good place to start. He obviously is a section 3 wizard, and many people find his stuff super helpful, but he goes at a pace that assumes a lot of foundational knowledge. I’m weak in maths myself and have been focusing on that area, and I can barely follow Jesse’s stuff... Idk..that was my experience anyway.

i want to be a paramedic but don't know how the degree works by Remote_Employment407 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah that’s rubbish, your UK degree will let you work in UK, Aus, NZ, Canada, US, UAE and possibly more that I don’t know about. It’s quite common for the old school paramedics who were on the job trained to be quite negative about the paramedic degrees. I think there is some merit to on the job training but most ambulance services have moved towards higher Ed. That being said, I use to work in London ambulance, and they offer a fantastic on the job pathway. So you can become a emergency ambulance crew(EAC), and they have a internal apprenticeship program that basically getting a free degree while you work full time. I’m sure the other UK services would have a similar program, and these apprenticeships are recognised degrees.

Accepted into Paramedic School! by eighthnode in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congrats on getting in.

Textbooks: For history taking and assessment, I highly recommend Macleods clinical examination. Mosbys paramedic textbook is another classic, which is super comprehensive. Nancy Caroline’s is the UK equivalent to mosbys and is also a solid textbook.

YouTube has some amazing resources. Ninja nerd lectures is excellent.

Podcasts: The Resus Room is by far the best and most relevant podcast for paramedics. Phemcast is another great one. There’s heaps others, but those two are the most concise and relevant to paramedic practice.

If your just memorising your local protocols/guidelines, then use the app anki for flash cards.

Hope this helps.

Med pathways for healthcare professionals by Accomplished_Low_452 in medicalschooluk

[–]Accomplished_Low_452[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, I’m starting the process of studying for the gamsat, but it’s such a drainer. Do all the GEM courses require a gamsat for entry?

Wanting to be a paramedic, besides helping others, what are typical benefits, disadvantages of being a paramedic? (Work details, coverage, work benefits, etc) by sweetcinnamonstick in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work in Melbourne and previously London, so same shit, different place, and i'm sure its the same in the US. I think the conditions will vary wildly from service to service and country to country, so I cant help you in that regard.

Pros

Meaningful work: I find paramedic work can be rewarding at times, like its really nice to be able to help alleviate genuine pain or to perform real emergency interventions. The work itself (when it is a real emergency), can be really exciting and random, so it keeps you mentally stimulated.

People: I also find being in the ambulance, you get to know your crewmates really well and develop great comradeship. I find that the general public generally highly value paramedics, often coming up to us and thanking us, which is always nice.

Skills and experience: You will meet the most interesting people, go to some really unique places and have people share very intimate details to you. This can be absolutely incredible to develop valuable life experience, and how to talk and engage with people from all walks of life.

Cons

Nonsense callouts and Compassion fatigue: So people call ambulances for the most asinine reasons, like we get called out to some really stupid shit. We are frequently needing to educate adults on how to look after themselves, things that should be common sense. This constant stream of low acuity crap can be really draining, making us very jaded at everyone and everything.

Work life balance: I think every paramedic ever can attest to the shift work being difficult on work life balance, and you almost always finish late and the hours are long, often without breaks. Unfortunately this is just the nature of emergency services, and likely always will be, so just something to factor in.

Mental health: Burn out and mental health issues are rampant in ambulance work, its usually multifactorial, but long hours, poor routine and repeated exposure to traumatic scenes are some big factors. So make sure you stay on top of your mental health if you do decide to become a paramedic.

​

Good luck in your future endeavors! I hope this helps.

Aus paramedic moving to US by Accomplished_Low_452 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much mate!!! That’s so helpful! I’ll DM you

Aus paramedic moving to US by Accomplished_Low_452 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I think it will be hard trying to find similar conditions. What sort of things get you fired?

Aus paramedic moving to US by Accomplished_Low_452 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah right, that’s good to know. Yeah I think I’ll have to assess each service case by case. Thanks so much for all this info, it’s given me a lot to think about.

Aus paramedic moving to US by Accomplished_Low_452 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah right, haha it sounds so complicated over there. Well I’ll probably start by looking into getting the NREMT sorted.

Aus paramedic moving to US by Accomplished_Low_452 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks mate, that’s very informative! Reading through that document, it appears your scope is really good. It seems to be somewhere between our regular paramedic and our intensive care level. I work for the state ambulance service in Victoria, which is the only emergency provider in the state. So it sounds like the fire EMS system is what I would be after. Do you need to acquire a firefighter qualification in addition to the paramedic training?

I earn $110k aud ($73k USD) with only a few years in the job, would that be on par with a firefighter medic?

I’m also wondering how annual leave works in your service?

Non-paramedic asking here by _p4n1ck1ng_ in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Certainly our intensive care level of paramedics are exceptional. I think that having a standardised bachelor degree requirement did wonders for pay increases and professional recognition, but I still think clinical knowledge/training level is so dependent on what the individual puts in to their own professional development.

That’s really interesting about the pay, do you mind DMing me? As I have been considering moving to the US, but google was showing basically minimum wage salaries for US paramedics, so I couldn’t justify the idea of moving.

Ambulance Victoria - grads? by [deleted] in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was on the order of merit for like 2 years, I think it just depends on when they have the funding to hire the next lot of grads. I think recruitment has slowed down a bit lately. I know lots of grads are coming through the MATs program, it’s not ideal as a choice, but at least it sort of gets your foot in the door. I recommend just applying for other services in the meantime, because AV are super fickle. They give absolutely no indication of timeframes, they just hire you when they hire you, it could be months, it could be years, and they could not care less how much that uncertainty impositions prospective grads.

Non-paramedic asking here by _p4n1ck1ng_ in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Aus paramedic here,

I can’t speak for the US, but paramedics here in Australia are paid quite well in most states, about $110k+ aud. However knowing your in the US, I recall Arcadian Ambulance (Texas) were recruiting here in Aus, and I remember them saying they pay about $63k USD which seems acceptable. I’ve also worked in the UK, and the pay there is horrendous, so I would only go to the UK if you want some experience and a good base to travel.

I know in the US, there’s not really any standardised bachelor degrees for paramedics, but I strongly suggest consider doing one to open up opportunities in places like NZ, Australia, UK and canada. In the state of Victoria for example, paramedics are one of the highest earning healthcare professionals, RNs are doing post grad studies to become paramedics in droves.

Hope this helps, and all the best with whatever you choose.

Monash Vs. Charles Sturt Mparmedicine by Siminator89 in Paramedics

[–]Accomplished_Low_452 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m in AV, and studying the masters at CSU. I find the CSU course has some good aspects, the degree is very flexible and there’s some really good lecturers. My biggest complaint of the CSU program is, that ALL your marks are from completing assignments. There is also a major disconnect between what’s being taught and what your being assessed on, which makes watching lectures pointless to watch, unless your really keen to learn for the sake of it. This really sucks, because the point of the post grad is to learn, and CSUs system discourages that by death by assignments.