A paramedic responds to emergency calls as part of an emergency team, or as a first responder, using procedures they have been trained to do. They usually work in a two-person crew alongside a technician or care assistant. However, they can also work on their own using a motorbike to attend to a call out.

The Work

You could be:

• assessing the patient's condition and making a decision on treatment
• operating advanced life saving or life support equipment in emergency situations
• using defibrillators (to restore the heart's rhythm), spinal and traction splints, and intravenous drips
• giving medication and oxygen to patients in emergency situations
• taking charge at an incident until a senior officer arrives
• handing over the patient to the medical or nursing staff at the hospital, giving them a factual verbal report of the patient’s condition
• completing patient report forms
• working with police and fire service crews.

Pay

Ambulance staff who work for the NHS are paid on the Agenda for Change scales. The current pay scales are from April 2021. Paramedics are on Band 6, £33,072 to £40,736 a year.

Conditions

• Your base would be the ambulance station or hospital but you would spend much of your time out in the ambulance attending to patients in accidents and emergencies.
• You would work shifts including evenings, nights and weekends.
• You would be faced with distressing situations.
• You would wear a uniform or sometimes other protective clothing such as helmet or high visibility jacket.

Getting In

• Glasgow Caledonian University, Queen Margaret University and the University of Stirling offer the BSc Paramedic Science. On successful completion you can apply for vacancies as a qualified paramedic.
• For entry to Glasgow Caledonian you need 4 Highers at BBBC including English and Maths and preferably Biology plus National 5 Maths.
• For entry to Queen Margaret you need 4 Highers at BBBB (or BBCC for widening access entry) including Biology (or Human Biology) and English or another English based subject plus National 5 English and Maths or Applications of Maths and preferably another science subject.
• For entry to the University of Stirling you need 4 Highers at BBBB including one from Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics plus English and Maths at National 5.
• Alternatively, you must first qualify as an ambulance technician before progressing to paramedic (see job profile for Ambulance Technician).
• Once you have qualified as an ambulance technician, you can apply to train as an ambulance paramedic, but only if a vacancy is available.
• For entry into the Scottish Ambulance Service as a technician, you would require a minimum of National 4 English and Maths.
• All applicants must pass the Scottish Ambulance Service entrance test including accident and emergency fitness test, interview and occupational health screening.
• You must have a full current Category C1 driving licence. You will also be required to undertake a pre-employment driving assessment. You must have no more than 3 penalty points.
• You must pass an entrance exam and a medical examination. You must be physically fit.
• You will require a satisfactory criminal record check from Disclosure Scotland to show that you are suitable for this type of work. Contact Disclosure Scotland for details on the type you would need.

Job vacancies appear on the myjobscotland website. Most ambulance work is with the NHS, but there are also jobs with the armed services. There are some private ambulance companies around the UK including one or two in Scotland.

Job Outlook Scotland

Job Outlook Scotland

  Scotland

2021

2472

0.5 %

RISE

2026

2484

LMI data powered by EMSI UK

What Does it Take?

You should be:

• able to get on with people from all backgrounds and of all ages
• patient and understanding – you will be dealing with patients who may be distressed or in pain
• reliable
• able to work well in a team
• willing to take control of a situation
• able to remain calm in emergencies and cope with unpleasant sights
• quick thinking and able to make decisions in difficult situations
• resilient and able to deal with the emotional impact of distressing situations.

Training

• You will be enrolled onto the Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE) in Paramedic Practice at the Scottish Ambulance Academy (based within the School of Health at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU)).
• This is delivered over a two year period.
• In year 1 you spend 13 weeks at the Scottish Ambulance Academy, followed by 39 weeks in practice placement. The total required learning in year 1 is 1,500 hours.
• In year 2 you have two five-week blocks of teaching at the Scottish Ambulance Academy, each followed by 21 weeks of practice placement.
• Successful completion of the DipHE Paramedic Practice leads to eligibility to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Getting On

• The Scottish Ambulance Service has new opportunities for experienced paramedics as a specialist or advanced paramedic.
• You may be promoted to senior paramedic working from a response car.
• With experience you could become a clinical advisor within an Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre.
• With further training you could join the air ambulance service which operates from Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness.

More Information

The Scottish Government has committed to training 1,000 new paramedics by 2021. The new paramedics will be recruited from existing ambulance technician staff, whose places will be filled by recruiting new technicians.

The location of the Scottish Ambulance Academy allows ambulance staff to have the opportunity to train alongside police and fire service colleagues, for example, in simulated road traffic collisions.

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Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.