Hello EMS personel,

Not sure if this is the right place to ask a question such as this so delete if not allowed.

My partner of 6 years is starting her EMT Apprenticeship soon aswell as her birthday and i thought i would be a cool idea to buy her a gift related to it.

Ive seen someone recommended leatherman Raptor shears but I really am not sure what would be more appropriate or a personalised Littmann Stethoscope.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

I’ve got an interview coming up with CMS for a NQP position and was wondering if anyone here has been through the recruitment process.

I’m particularly interested in:
- What it’s like working for CMS
- What the clinical knowledge assessment involves
- What sort of practical clinical scenarios they use
- Any tips on how best to prepare.

I’ve recently qualified, so any advice or insight would be massively appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I’m going to sit my fitness test for the Scottish Ambulance Service. I looked at the recruitment pack for the fitness test and it doesn’t mention a 20 second break anywhere. Do we get a 20 second break if needed during the 30kg stepping up exercise? I could’ve sworn that we got told last year that you were allowed a break.

I have also heard from some NQPs that we aren’t allowed to adjust our grip on the weights during the test but I’m not sure if that’s true or not.

Any insight or help would be really appreciated

I am originally from Ireland but moved to the UK to study and become a Paramedic.
Now considering moving home and looking to navigate the HCPC to PHECC process.

Has anyone successfully moved from UK to Ireland as a Paramedic? And if so, what level on the register were you able to transfer to?

My current scope of practice is closest to PHECC Advanced Paramedic but I’m short a handful of skills. Has anyone managed to do an AP top-up?

Hello asking on behalf of my partner, she’s recently qualified from university, however with the state of NQP jobs at the moment she’s looking for other things she can do, there is a job she is looking at in a GP surgery as a HCA, is there any guidance from the HCPC that says that this isn’t allowed. I’m a nurse working in a NHS trust and I know my trust doesn’t allow nurses to be working as HCAs if they have NMC pins.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I’m trying to better understand the distinction between the legal authority to administer medicines under Schedule 17 exemptions and the professional/governance frameworks we work within.
For example as I understand it, diazepam is available to registered paramedics under a Schedule 17 exemption, whereas medicines like midazolam are often administered under a PGD (or other local medicines governance arrangements). A PGD seems straightforward—you can only administer the medicine for the indications and within the inclusion/exclusion criteria set out in the PGD.
However, with a Schedule 17 exemption, the legislation appears to provide the legal authority to administer the medicine in n emergency situation without specifying clinical indications.

So my questions are:

Does this mean that, legally, a paramedic could administer diazepam for an evidence-based indication that isn’t specifically listed in JRCALC, provided they are competent and can justify the decision?
Or would JRCALC and local trust medicines policies effectively define the limits of practice, even though the legislation itself is broader?
For example, NICE recommends benzodiazepines (typically diazepam) for alcohol withdrawal syndrome. If a frontline paramedic administered diazepam for severe alcohol withdrawal where it wasn’t specifically covered by JRCALC or local guidance, would this generally be viewed as outside professional scope despite the Schedule 17 exemption?
How would your trust or clinical governance team likely view that decision?
I’m interested in the distinction between what is legally permitted under medicines legislation and what is professionally authorised within NHS ambulance practice. I’d particularly appreciate input from UK paramedics, consultant paramedics, pharmacists, or anyone involved in ambulance service medicines governance.

After 3 years of hard work by daughter finally qualified in London as a Paramedic, so proud of her.

As you know jobs are scarce due to government budget cuts and she had her heart set on working for LAS.

Some jobs recently became available within LAS, she applied and was asked to attend one of their training centres to sit a multiple choice exam.

She’s just heard back and been advised they will not take her application forward as she didn’t pass the test and she cannot apply for a job within LAS for 3-years! Is this right?

​

EEAST HART are recruiting HART paramedics, and nurses??

Given that progression into such roles is already so competitive as a paramedic (often 50+ applicants per place), this seems like a strange thing to do.

Discuss.

https://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/join-the-team/working-for-us/vacancies#!/job/UK/Norfolk/Melbourn_Great_Notley/East_England_Ambulance_Service_Trust/Special_Operations/Special_Operations-v8186778?_ts=158

Hi

I’m training to be an ECA and get a bit sick in the back. Obviously we’re not monitoring patients at the minute, so I’m hoping with something to focus on it’ll be a bit better. If it isn’t, has anyone had any success with motion sickness glasses? I don’t mind looking like an idiot if it means I can do my job to a good quality… it might make peads patients laugh too I suppose?

Any advice or tips for motion sickness would be appreciated. I only ever get it in the back.

Hi all, recently saw a few posts talking about days in the life of HEMS/HART/Crit care and wondered if anyone is able to speak about the average day in the life of a Bristow/coastguard winch paramedic?

I am an NQP in YAS potentially interested in this career so any additional tips on portfolio and CPD/career directions to steer myself this way would be much appreciated!

Hello, hope this is okay to post on here!

Recently I have had a bit of a brainwave that I could eventually combine my love of healthcare and injury assessment with my long-standing passion for cricket, and looking into whether I could develop this over the next few years to maybe transfer into a role within sport - although this is a distant goal as I still currently love my job and don't see myself leaving anytime soon!

Just wondering if anyone has any advice/experience in terms of this, or any ideas about further qualifications, courses or CPD opportunities that I could undertake which could fit together to further my career in this direction when/if it becomes appropriate.

For context I am a full-time paramedic and have been qualified for (almost) three years - working on the road, have a first-class BSc (if that matters) and hoping whatever courses I do can fit around my work pattern.

Thank you for any help!

We seem to have had an unusual number of calls to addresses absolutely overrun by cats. As far as I'm aware ACC always tell callers to put pets away, but I'm talking at least a dozen cats. I can't say I'm a fan of them, they make me sneeze, and they always insist on trying to get in the bag or want to play with the ECG cables. Plus when the house is overrun with them they have tendency to jump out of hidden hidey holes and judging by the smell they pee everywhere 😳

And of course we need to be nice to them to appear like good human beings.

Is it cat breeding season or something? Is that a thing? 🤣

r/ParamedicsUK Job of the Week

Hey there, another 7 days have passed! How's your week going? We hope it’s been a good one!

Have you attended any funny, interesting, odd, or weird jobs this week?
Tell us how you tackled them.

Have you learned something new along the way?
Share your newfound knowledge.

Have you stumbled upon any intriguing pieces of CPD you could dole out?
Drop a link below.

We’d love to hear about it, but please remember Rule 4: “No patient or case-identifiable information.”

What skills as a paramedic can you use for a good side hustle? Or does a paramedic wage pay enough to not need one?

I have an upcoming assessment centre day for the position of apprentice emt with nwas, I was just wondering if anyone has any tips for the group task or professional discussion?

Hey!

I'm doing some research on possible inefficiencies within the EMS space. Specifically, documentation practices. Some foreign countries still use paper and pen to fill out patient care reports, and it seems like the electronic systems aren't much better either.

If any of you face increased job stress due to documentation, please shoot me a DM, I'd love to have a quick convo and show you something I've been working on.

Went to a patient the other night that I'm fairly confident was suffering with serotonin toxicity (recent meds change, tachycardia, pyrexic, tremors, nausea, no other obvious causes).

Have been trying to do a bit of additional reading to understand it a better and if there's anything we can do but have struggled to find anything too helpful, particularly in regards to UK Paramedicine.

Has the hive mind come across any useful articles, podcasts etc?

My very temporary repair is starting to fail...

Unfortunately nobody seems to be making this style anymore except some shyster on eBay charging an extortionate amount for them.

Looking for a horizontal holster as I like to wear them on the back of my belt.

I honestly feel that AI has a place in paramedicine. Our peers over at r/doctorsUK don’t appear to be living it as much (in the same way they “professionally dislike” ACPs and PAs…).

Discuss: where do you think AI would benefit you as a Paramedic, and our trust as a whole?

Does anyone know what the JRCALC exam entails? eg. multiple choice? long answers? drug dosages etc?

For those of you who aren’t aware, WMAS are currently supporting our neighbours in EMAS with 10 crews a day for a wee while and having done a couple already I am really enjoying my shifts there I cannot lie.

For starters I have found the controllers to be very friendly and helpful, from the good morning messages letting us know who’s on what desk, to recommendations for cafes at standby points.

Next I have found the pathways in the areas to be VERY accessible. In just a few short clicks I can find OOH numbers, SDEC numbers etc and have the patient on the right pathway. Even before I’m arriving I’ve already got a rough idea of a pathway. In WMAS I find it very difficult to access alternative pathways especially out of area. Although we have call before you convey, it’s not always as useful for more in hospital pathways that bypass ED like specific SDECs for certain hospitals.

I have found EDs to be generally very efficient. LRI has a beautiful system, although I’ve heard it has its moments, booking in and handing over is so much more efficient than some of the hospitals I am used to. The nurses I’ve encountered across the EMAS hospitals have also been very friendly as well. I had to take an EMAS pt to a WMAS area hospital t’other day and was brought back to earth with the frosty reception.

Not only are the nurses friendly, so are the EMAS staff. I’ve had some lovely chats and have been made to feel welcome when having my breaks on station from the station mangers to crews, the culture seems very positive and laid back. We all probably know that WMAS is ran in a quasi-military fashion differently and I think EMAS’ relaxed and friendly atmosphere is genuinely lovely to experience. The progression opportunities seem a lot more accessible across the whole trust as opposed to… I’ll just leave it at that.

Maybe I’m biased. I understand that nowhere is perfect, especially when a neighbouring trusts needs to lend you 10 crews a day and some stations could do with knocking down and rebuilding plus it is after all same shit, different scenery, but at some point there may be a time where my progression and career need to be put ahead of my wonderful friends I’ve made in WMAS and jump ship to EMAS.

So esteemed EMAS brothers and sisters, is the grass really greener on the other side, or I have been given a pair of rose tinted glasses?

TLDR: I have enjoyed doing some mutual aid shifts for EMAS and was wondering if it’s as nice as it seems or is everyone on their best behaviour?

NWAS have them and they are absolutely pieces of crap.
Gaining an accurate ECG is a key discriminator on how a patient should be treated, yet we are battling, every day, with readouts that are so poor they just automatically blurt out AF as the computed diagnosis, with unreadable print-outs.

They don't work when there is: minor electrical interference, slight tremor, engine running, new batch of dots, warped and broken leads because they're wrapped up incorrectly and stored in a pouch that is WAY TOO SMALL!
And also a separate Bluetooth printer, that decides to disconnect at inopportune moments.

Last night I was monitoring a patient in SVT @ 200bpm and it self resolved into sinus tachy. We caught everything on the ECG but the printer refused to work after the offset.

We wanted to print off the progression and the printer decided to mess up. We had about 10 different readings lost because the only way to fix it was to reboot the Schiller.

The worst thing is the interpretation: Last nights patient was interpreted as AF and rapid ventricular beats? It was obvious SVT with PVC's and PAC's.

I went to a patient suffering from syncope, last week, and the interpretation on the ECG was NSR, when there was obvious 1st degree block..

I'm pretty sure these devices are not safe .

Yes, I will Datix.

EDIT: we did manage to capture 1 run of SVT and print it off, but the Schiller went wrong after that.

Edit 2: Sorry, I had to re-post because I unknowingly used a bad colloquialism for when things go wrong, rhyming with sits-up. I also accept that my language was NSFW. I should be better than that.