Paramedic

Established in 1994 the Isle of Man Ambulance and Paramedic Service as it is known today grew from the merging of two separate services that were run by the Ramsey and District Cottage Hospital and the old Noble's Hospital.

The service provides Pre-Hospital Care for the population of the Isle of Man 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

There are three main ambulance stations located in Douglas, Port Erin and Ramsey as well as several other stand-by points which are utilised throughout the day and night around the Island.

The Ambulance and Paramedic Service Headquarters are located on the Noble's Hospital site, Douglas.

Becoming a Paramedic

To practise as a paramedic, you must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

You will need to do a paramedic science degree approved by the HCPC.

Full-time courses usually take 3 years.

Skills do you need to be a Paramedic

First and foremost the desire to want to help people is a good place to start. You need to be a good communicator and be able to demonstrate good people skills.

Working for the ambulance service is not all blue lights and sirens as is often portrayed on TV. Like any other job there are some moments of action but there is also quite a lot of routine work. You need to be able to relate to people in all walks of life and at all levels, the ability to empathise with people is essential.

At the moment, our driving courses are three weeks long and it’s an advanced driving course. You will need to ensure your license includes category C1 which is not automatic if you passed your test after 2000.

What the Ambulance service can offer you

The Ambulance Service offers an exciting, rewarding and challenging career that delivers an immense amount of satisfaction and sense of achievement knowing that you have made a difference to someone else’s life.

Paramedics can often go on to further train and become Emergency Care Practitioners in some services, which is an advancement of the knowledge they have already gained from working as a Paramedic for some years. You may also progress into management areas of an ambulance service and become involved in training and development or the operational side of a service.

What can you expect to be paid?

Salaries will depend very much on the Trust or Service you will work for. Due to recent changes with the pay structures within the NHS a Paramedic salary is now very competitive with other choices of career. There are also different levels of unsociable hours payments which can be made depending on how many hours of your working week fall at night time, on a weekend or bank holiday.

You will also be provided with the necessary service uniform and personal protective clothing including foot ware.

Contacts

For further information you can contact:

Careers Centre

careers@gov.im

Universities

By going to the UCAS website and following the links available you can search for a course and university that is right for you.

Why not start thinking now about how what you do with your life can make a difference to many peoples lives?