Degree in Paramedic Driving?

beya2009

Hi Everyone,

My sister will be doing doing her leaving cert next year and is really interested in paramedic driving. She wants to go to UCD. We just wanted to know if UCD do any paramedic science degrees that would cover a big element of paramedic driving.

2bh when she told me, I never even knew there was such a thing as "paramedic driving".

Any help would be much appreciated.

delta_bravo

UCD offers a course in emergency medicine but i think the Dublin Fire Brigade or HSE take all the places

timmywex

www.irishambulance.net is the best resource. Also check out boards emergency services forum under soc.

The only way at the moment to be an emergency paramedic in ireland is to go through the hse or dfb. With the dublin fire briagde you will also be a trained firefighter and only work as a paramedic one day a week(roughly)

There are no paramedic courses in college. Apart from the dfb, the only way is the hse, who use the national ambulance service college. There you are trained as a paramedic and the diploma in EMT is accredited by Ucd, and run in conjunctuion with ucd to an extent. But is not accwesible through any other means than the hse.


Remember its not paramedic driving, driving is done every second shift and attending the patient on the others. So your sister should also be very interested in first aid and the likes. Its obviously a much higher standard than first aid but she should be very interested in the whole medicine aspect of it.

The best advice imo would be go to college, do what she wants to do! Then when in college join a vol ambulance so she could get some training done, possibly up to EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) but that would take a few years. There is also a private company that provide that training http://www.ambulancetraining.ie/

Its also worth noting that the hse competition is hard and takes place at irregular intervals.

Also she has to be at least 21 before becoming a paramedic. This is because the hse impose a restriction that the applicant must have a full C1 and D1 licence, which cannot be got until you are 21.

Any more questions give me a pm or whatever

beya2009

Hi timmywex,

That was an extremely helpful reply. After talking to my sister about this taking into account your advice, im starting to realise that there is no structural way to be an emergency paramedic.

Like she will be only 17 when she finishes her leaving cert next year so I followed your advice by telling her that it would probably be in her best interest to do a degree that she wants to do. One degree she really wants to do is general nursing which I think would be great as I presume it would have a medicine background and will have some first aid in it I presume.

Hopefully when doing the 4 year course..they would be no harm in getting work experience at a voluntary ambulance. I think she was telling me points needed for general nursing is like 350 points but she is well capable of getting that.

II also think her taking this road hopefully should provide more employment opportunities for her in the future as she was telling me she would love to be a emergency paramedic or firefighter.

I presume though it must be very hard trying to get work experience at an ambulance?

Thank you so much for your help.

timmywex

beya2009 wrote: »

I presume though it must be very hard trying to get work experience at an ambulance?

.

Well im only a year ahead of your sister in the whole scheme of things!!


But yeh, it is kinda hard, because of health/safety/insurance and the likes. I thin k the best way would be during the EMT training where you would get placements. EMT would also qualify the person to work in transporting patients with for example, private companies

beya2009

Hi timmywex,

Thank you for your helpful replies. I was just wondering if you know the general pay scale for paramedics?

Would be grateful if anyone can please prove this information as my sister wants to know. Thank you.

lauraokeeffe

hi beya 2009, i think the starting pay for a paramedic is 26,000 euro. I'm also really interested into getting into becoming a paramedic/EMT and have been looking into doing a Fire and Ambulance course in Senior College Dunlaoghaire and you come out with a Fetac level 5 cert. I'm finding it really hard to get proper info from them at the mo coz its the summer. Does anyone know if this course is the one to do and would you be qualified enough after to get a job? Optional certificates, EFR and EMT are PHECC recognised, do u need to to both of them to get a job on an an ambulance r one or the other? Whats the difference between a Paramedic and an EMT? Im finding it very hard to get these questions answered and would greatly appreciate if anyone could help me! Thanx Laura

Tango Alpha 51

lauraokeeffe wrote: »

hi beya 2009, i think the starting pay for a paramedic is 26,000 euro. I'm also really interested into getting into becoming a paramedic/EMT and have been looking into doing a Fire and Ambulance course in Senior College Dunlaoghaire and you come out with a Fetac level 5 cert. I'm finding it really hard to get proper info from them at the mo coz its the summer. Does anyone know if this course is the one to do and would you be qualified enough after to get a job? Optional certificates, EFR and EMT are PHECC recognised, do u need to to both of them to get a job on an an ambulance r one or the other? Whats the difference between a Paramedic and an EMT? Im finding it very hard to get these questions answered and would greatly appreciate if anyone could help me! Thanx Laura

www.phecc.ie will answer all your questions