Hi all,
New to the forums so thought I'd say hello and pick a few brains if I may.
I'm 31 and just entering the final year of my Paramedic Practitioner degree. I've got 2 step kids aged 8 and 9 and live in the South West.
The general consensus is that I'll be extremely lucky to get a front line NHS ambulance job locally (although getting a job somewhere is pretty much guaranteed) and having lived "oop north" for a few years previously I'm set on staying in this part of the country. Add to this the fact that the NHS is in the shitter and the front line role is getting more and more watered down with reassuring 20 year olds that it's normal to have a fast heart rate after an ounce of coke I think the RFA would be a more sensible career move.
To that end, if there are any current or recent Med Techs on here who could answer a couple of questions I'd be really grateful.
What is the deployment pattern? I've read different things ranging from "3 months at sea followed by 4 months off" to "4 months at sea followed by a month off".
How much does a Med Tech do clinically. For example, are you cannulating/ giving morphine/ closing wounds etc, or is it a plaster and paracetamol giving exercise? I'm aware of the first aid training and water testing roles.
How good are ship to shore comms? I've heard anything from "bugger all" to "as good as normal wifi"
I appreciate that these seem like fairly bone questions but this has to be the right decision for me and my family, and I need to be able to tell them absolutely everything i can before doing it. I'm planning a AFCO visit soon but figure it's better from the horses mouth.
Thanks
New to the forums so thought I'd say hello and pick a few brains if I may.
I'm 31 and just entering the final year of my Paramedic Practitioner degree. I've got 2 step kids aged 8 and 9 and live in the South West.
The general consensus is that I'll be extremely lucky to get a front line NHS ambulance job locally (although getting a job somewhere is pretty much guaranteed) and having lived "oop north" for a few years previously I'm set on staying in this part of the country. Add to this the fact that the NHS is in the shitter and the front line role is getting more and more watered down with reassuring 20 year olds that it's normal to have a fast heart rate after an ounce of coke I think the RFA would be a more sensible career move.
To that end, if there are any current or recent Med Techs on here who could answer a couple of questions I'd be really grateful.
What is the deployment pattern? I've read different things ranging from "3 months at sea followed by 4 months off" to "4 months at sea followed by a month off".
How much does a Med Tech do clinically. For example, are you cannulating/ giving morphine/ closing wounds etc, or is it a plaster and paracetamol giving exercise? I'm aware of the first aid training and water testing roles.
How good are ship to shore comms? I've heard anything from "bugger all" to "as good as normal wifi"
I appreciate that these seem like fairly bone questions but this has to be the right decision for me and my family, and I need to be able to tell them absolutely everything i can before doing it. I'm planning a AFCO visit soon but figure it's better from the horses mouth.
Thanks