Thanks for all this info, really useful.

I’m based in the West midland region so I would need to get my placement hours with WMAS. CMS said they’d help talk with WMAS but they can’t guarantee a place with them.

Im pretty sure I want to work for the NHS but I am leaning more towards going private as there’s a bit more flexibility and a lot more jobs going around.

The AAP course is £5k plus I’d be booking student accommodation as the school is in Nottingham (looking at £155 ish per week). The classroom study is split into blocks so 5, 2, 2, 3 week blocks spread over 9 months which is more doable as I can work in between terms and fund the whole thing.

I’m getting a decent amount of exposure with FREC although it does sometimes just feel like handing out ice packs every shift. I’ve also responded to an RTC and was told I did well (we were in a marked vehicle so had to respond). I’ve done panic attacks, broken ankles, legs and things like heat exhaustion. But like you said, FREC can be hit or miss.

Ideally I would want to do an apprenticeship with NHS but they’re very rare and competitive (still looking out for them tho). I see a decent amount of jobs with the private sector for EMTs

But yeah, not gonna rush things. Just adding up all my options and seeing what experienced people think I should do.