JobsAndCareersWithSarahWillingham2016 - 230

FOCUS :

EMERGENCY
SERVICES

Knowing lives
depend on you
can make life as a
paramedic stressful
- but you can also
gain huge job
satisfaction
You can earn...
Maritime operations officers can earn
around £25,000 a year once fully trained,
while a senior coastal operations officer's
salary is around £33,000 a year which
includes an on call allowance.

Becoming a coastguard
All of the MCA's job opportunities are
advertised on Civil Service Jobs where
you can also set up an account to receive
job alerts directly to your inbox.
A good standard of literacy and
numeracy, plus IT and keyboard skills,
are important for all maritime operations
officer roles. Meanwhile, entry level
senior coastal operations officers require
demonstrable knowledge and experience
of managing operational teams in a
response environment along with
a full UK driving licence.
You can also work as a coastguard
rescue officer volunteer where you will
be trained to respond to coastal incidents
24/7. Although there's no payment, you
can claim a nominal amount for time and
expenses. Contact your local coastguard
station for more information.
If you don't fancy working as a
coastguard but would still like to be
involved with the MCA, there are a wide
range of other opportunities available.
These include marine surveying,
IT, HR, finance, seafarer certification
and business admin support.
For more, see: www.civilservicejobs.
service.gov.uk or www.gov.uk/
government/organisations/maritimeand-coastguard-agency

2 3 0 /// J O B S & C A R E E R S

Paramedic
Paramedics care for people who are sick
or injured in all sorts of emergency
situations. This can range from
responding to a callout at someone's
home after they've suffered a heart
attack, to being first on the scene after
a road traffic accident, to treating minor
injuries - and everything in between.
They're usually based in ambulances
as part of the crew with an ambulance
technician or emergency care assistant,
but can also be part of specialist mobile
units and work independently in
emergency response vehicles.
A crucial part of working as a
paramedic is being able to quickly assess
someone's condition when they arrive on
the scene - then deciding what to do in
order to help them (or save their life).
As a paramedic, your tool kit would
be full of high-tech equipment such as
defibrillators, to restore the heart's
rhythm, plus spinal and traction splints.
You'd also administer drugs, oxygen and
intravenous (IV) drips.
Knowing lives depend on you can
make a career as a paramedic stressful.
But at the same time, being able to make
such a difference to someone when they
most need it means it's a role you can
gain huge job satisfaction from.

you're qualified and have experience,
there's plenty of scope for promotion
including working towards senior roles.

Becoming a paramedic
You'll need to be registered with the
Health and Care Professions Council
(HCPC) and to do that, first you'll have
to gain a qualification that's approved
by them. This can include a clinical
placement with an ambulance service
or a healthcare provider. You can do a
foundation degree, higher education
diploma or a degree in paramedic science
or paramedic emergency care. HPC has
a comprehensive list of all its accredited
education institutions. Check it out at
www.hcpc-uk.org.
Another way in is to work as a paid
student paramedic through work-based
learning with an ambulance trust.
Visit Become a Paramedic
www.becomeaparamedic.co.uk
for more information on this role

Are you cut out to be a paramedic?
You'll need...
* An ability to stay calm and think

clearly under extreme pressure.
* Good physical, mental and emotional

health as you may be dealing with
gruelling, stressful and upsetting
situations. It's vital you understand
and accept you'll be dealing with
people who are ill, in extreme pain,
or who are dying.
* To be non-judgemental and nonprejudiced, even if you're provoked by
aggressive members of the public.

You can earn...
According to the NHS Agenda for
Change pay scales, a qualified paramedic
salary starts at £21,692 and caps at
£28,180. If you become an emergency
care practitioner (or senior paramedic)
you can earn up to £34,500 a year. Once

Sarah says...

No doubt you - or someone
❛you
know - has had to dial
999 and we all know what
dedicated people work in the
emergency services. These
roles require stamina, as well
as emotional and physical
resilience, but working as a
paramedic, firefighter, police
constable or coastguard
might be just the challenge
you're looking for.

❜
http://www.hcpc-uk.org http://www.becomeaparamedic.co.uk http://www.civilservicejobs http://service.gov.uk http://www.gov.uk/
JobsAndCareersWithSarahWillingham2016

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