Perth

My first thought too Glad to hear I was mistaken. And very glad to see you are back. Loved the story and ready for more

Lorry1

Love this! Did you just watch it? lol
And I love MissBettys story, of course!
I think I may change career, a paramedic sounds such fun

WhoFan63

I did...lol, which is why I couldn't resist putting it in. I love her stories too, wonder if its too late in life to be a paramedic? I could do with a laugh..LOL

MissBetty

Well I think you ladies should join, its an awesome job and we need recruits lol!

Seriously most services both here and in the UK are only accepting new people through the university route which I think is terrible. We get all these super keen, very annoying 21 year old uni grads to work with. Yes, they have heaps of knowledge but NO experience whatsoever and they have no idea how to talk to people which I truly believe is the greatest skills a paramedic can have. I think we need older people with life experience or else how on earth can you empathise with your patients, stand up for yourself when someone is being unreasonable or calm down a hysterical injured child?

So the good and bad IMHO as follows:-

Good

1. Job satisfaction - totally and utterly!
2. Work independently, out all day in your 'truck' not stuck inside. If you have a good crewmate the shift can be awesome
3. Interesting/varied work - no day is ever the same!
4. Variety - can work on a ambulance/helicopter/rapid response car
5. Excellent pay. Fully qualified is 34,995 in the UK, take home 2,300.00 pm

Bad

1. Violent, nasty, drunk, rude and just plain horrible patients
2. When you have a bad crewmate the shift is PAINFUL .......... and long!
3. Night duties - but now I know that 'on call' is worse!
4. Incompetant managers giving you grief cos you didn't respond in 30 secs - sorry idiot chops but I have to pee at some point!!!!!!
5. Not getting fed and going from job to job to job - you learn to eat on the run!

One of the main reasons I am returning to the UK is I enjoyed my job so much more over there. I will end up going freelance,as planned, but I'm going to go back into the NHS first for a while. I need job security, I want to restart my NHS pension as well and I want to train up as a Paramedic Practitioner. Thats where you treat people in their own homes for minor things so they don't have to go to hospital. i.e Elderly patient who has had a fall, needs a few stitches and follow up care the next day.

I genuinely like people and having a bit of a laugh with them makes them feel better even if they are feeling like crap. After being here on my own for so long I do know now what its like to feel alone and depressed and like no one gives a s*** about you so I can empathise - nothing is worse than being sick or injured and having no one to help you.

I'll often walk into an elderly patient's house and they are so relieved to see me they burst into tears - bless! I always hold their hand and say "Oh my God I'm so sorry, didn't mean to scare you, I really should have put some make on today!" That always gets a smile through the tears and helps them relax, I'm a big hand holder plus I make a great cuppa ha ha ha!!!!

The ambulance services near to me - London and Essex - don't run the PP course anymore, my nearest is South Central (Portsmouth and over) but they are not recruiting atm. The only two that are and run the course are Yorkshire and North West Ambulance Service so I have applied to NWAS this week.

I'd have to live away from home if I got the job but that's no big deal as I love the North of England and rents are fairly cheap, saw a studio flat for 250GBP per month this week - that'll do!!!! I'd just go home on my days off - a 4 hour drive doesn't phase me at all after my marathon drives here through the middle of nowhere

I got a list of locations in the job spec and had to pick preferences so I chose Wigan, Bolton, Manchester, North Cheshire and St Helens. It was a no to North Cumbria (too far) and a very big NO to Central Liverpool lol! Don't get me started on that one................... ha ha ha!!!

MissBetty

Ha ha! Glad you enjoyed it - no mishaps this week, still getting over the toe injury!

WhoFan63

Well you will be in my neck of the woods so I know who to call.........................and it isn't Ghostbusters

I think a drawback at first is not being familiar with the area you're working in....hate to thing of some poor old dear having to wait while I tried to figure out where the bloody hell I was going. Although I guess that's why you have a partner so THEY can drive until you get used to it

My late husband was a paramedic/firefighter. He loved it He ended up as a trainer too so was training all those 21 year olds you talked about..LOL

£250 for a studio flat would do me too...lol. Ummmm let me get a job FIRST and I'll get back to you on that one .

MissBetty

Yes I do think most of the people I go to up here are a bit mental but it makes for great stories!!!

I do get the stair thing but sometimes you just have to suck it up if it is part of your job. I have to carry people down stairs when they are sick and I make a judgement call on it as I have to protect my back and my crewmate's.

If you are having a heart attack, are very frail, unconscious, can't breathe etc then in the chair you go and I will carry you without complaint.

If you are a 'dying swan', bit of a tummy ache, drunk, have the flu then you are walking and that's final. If they said "Oh I can't walk!" I say "What's wrong with your legs, are they broken?" When the sooky patient says well no then I say "Marvelous, we will help you poppet - up you get and lets put your shoes on shall we?!!"

One of the doctors up here always laughs at the way I talk to people, I think I am firm but fair, he calls me 'Supernanny' lol lol lol!!!!

MissBetty

Why thanks! I'm just going to cut and paste all my stories on here for the book, its a much easier way of getting it all down and not boring like sitting in front of a laptop all day ha ha!!!!

WhoFan63

I would just LOVE to ride along with you one day.. apart from the fact you'd probably have to give me a catheter because I'd me laughing too hard, it would be a great experience. Sign me up! To see you in action... here comes SUPERNANNY !!!!!!! Do you get to wear a cape too?? LOL

MissBetty

Honestly you will be fine - all ambulances have built in satnav's these days althought a bit of local knowledge always helps!

I remember when I first joined and it was map books all the way - flippin nightmare!!! I'd be driving through the London traffic to the Royal London while my crew mate was in the back with a patient, map book open on my lap sneaking frantic glances at it and trying not to prang something! I'd hear the patient - usually a male - complaining "Where the bloody hell is SHE going, this isn't the right way it would be quicker to go such and such."

I'd always just yell out "Well I'm not a bloody cabbie mate and if you don't like it why don't YOU come up here and drive if you are so bothered?"

Usually they'd shut up then and just let me get on with it!!!!!

MissBetty

You can come out for a ride along anyday love! I don't wear a cape but I DO wear many hats - chauffeur, porter, counsellor, tea maker, conflict resolution specialist, career advisor and public health educator.................

"No miss, you do NOT need to call an ambulance because you have sunburn - you won't die from that I promise you!" Lol!

WhoFan63

Okay...scenario here... I'm 49, not in the greatest of health, but good upper body strength..lol, all good so far. I do all the courses, do all the training and by some sheer fluke or a quick fudge of the test scores I pass.... still all good. By the time I'm ready to go out on the road I will be over 50 YIKES !
Fast forward a few years...now I'm nearly 60, still working and get a call....here I am running up a flight of stairs with the kit... I trip...first problem....I get to the patient nursing a sore foot...no problem...suck it up.....talk to the OAP (who ironically is the same age as me), diagnose and decide to transport....next problem coming up...... I go to lift said OAP and can feel that PING in my back.......great ! So there I am.....on the floor, writhing in pain as the OAP...what a dear is calling 999 for a paramedic to come help treat the paramedic who came to treat the OAP.
Cue the laugh track !!!! LOL

WhoFan63

You're on ! I promise to stay out of the way..LOL, although if you need an extra pair of hands... I'm your gal !

MissBetty

Ha ha ha!!!! I'll make you carry stuff you know and an extra pair of hands is always welcome! Btw have you seen that series 'Medics on Call' at all?

They have it here on Austar, its presented by that actress Angela Griffin and she is out with the West Midlands service for 10 weeks. Its actually very interesting viewing and it shows the crews in a really good light but she just cries every single episode - its so funny!!!!!! She cries before they even get to a job and it usually turns out to be nothing ha ha ha!!!!!

WhoFan63

Not seen it Probably not available in the US, but that's one of the benefits of You Tube Darn, just checked - it's not even on You Tube.

She sounds like someone I just saw on TV the other night working with Gordon Ramsay. It was 'Kitchen Nightmares' and one of the daughters would burst out crying for no particular reason. She actually walked into the kitchen, burst out crying and said 'They say there is too much garlic'. WTF?? LOL