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Paramedics respond to emergency call-outs and give people life-saving medical help.
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
In this role you'll:
You may need to wear protective clothing and a uniform.
You could work on an ambulance, at a client's home or in the community.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this work through:
You'll need to do a paramedic science degree approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Full-time courses usually take 3 years.
You may be able to get additional student financial support through the NHS Learning Support Fund.
You'll usually need:
You can get into this role through a paramedic degree apprenticeship.
There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:
You could start as an ambulance care assistant or an emergency medical technician. With experience you could apply for a place on a paramedic training scheme. You would need to check the entry procedures and requirements with individual ambulance service trusts.
Entry to paramedic courses is very competitive and it may help you if you have some relevant experience or training. You could:
You can find more information on how to get relevant healthcare work experience from Health Careers
You could apply for a training scheme as a student paramedic with an ambulance service. You would do your university paramedic qualification on the job.
You'll need to:
When applying for degree courses or apprenticeships, you'll be expected to show an understanding of how NHS values apply in your work.
You can join the College of Paramedics and get access to courses, conferences and workshops to keep your skills up to date, and to swap ideas with colleagues in the profession.
You can find out more about becoming a paramedic from the College of Paramedics and Health Careers.
With around 3 years' experience, you could become:a team leader; a specialist paramedic; an emergency care practitioner
You could also move into operations management, education and training or research, or train to work in other areas of healthcare, for example nursing.