Anyone worked as an Emergency Care Support Worker (Ambulance service)?

[sim667]

Just dropping by to see how its all going sim667 .

Learning something new every job I do, and even though the shifts are long and early/late I’m really enjoying it. I’m working as an actual crew to someone rather than 3rd man and I enjoy that so much more, you don’t feel like a spare wheel.

I used the stethoscope bellaozzydog sent me on my first full on trauma patient today, and got my first letter of thanks from a patient today too.

still struggling with medical clerking and remembering the medical terminology, like today could not remember them name of the clavical For the life of me, and I really need to brush up on the skull parts again.

 

[hash tag]

Brilliant. A star is born.
and thoughts to bellaozzydog

 

[bellaozzydog]

Learning something new every job I do, and even though the shifts are long and early/late I’m really enjoying it. I’m working as an actual crew to someone rather than 3rd man and I enjoy that so much more, you don’t feel like a spare wheel.

I used the stethoscope bellaozzydog sent me on my first full on trauma patient today, and got my first letter of thanks from a patient today too.

still struggling with medical clerking and remembering the medical terminology, like today could not remember them name of the clavical For the life of me, and I really need to brush up on the skull parts again.

If you are brushing up skull parts you probably don’t need your stethoscope

 

[sim667]

I need to stop putting off doing the rest of the coursework

 

[bellaozzydog]

I need to stop putting off doing the rest of the coursework

when your motivation has a GCS of 3

 

[Riklet]

Sounds like youve done amazingly so far and im so pleased it's going well!

 

[sim667]

Sounds like youve done amazingly so far and im so pleased it's going well!

Thanks dude..... still really enjoying, switching from nights to days and vice versa is difficult. But I'm hearing rumblings about me getting a permanent crew mate soon, and then my rota should settle in.

I'm just trying to get the work done now so I can apply for an AAP course.

 

[hash tag]

I have heard that people are getting taken of the vans in London in order to deal with phone calls.

 

[extra dry]

Whats the call rate.

Have you enough venterlators.

I heard Metc Benz were going to make breathing masks, 2000 a day?

 

[sim667]

I have heard that people are getting taken of the vans in London in order to deal with phone calls.

I'm not sure about that, but LAS have been using firemen (forewoman/firepeople) who have been put through an emergency driving course to be crewed with paramedic, so they can have more crews out on the road. My trust have had a lot of people from Virgin atlantic whilst they're shut in the call centres, tbf though ambulance services do tend to recruit from flight crew a lot anyway.

 

[sim667]

Whats the call rate.

Have you enough venterlators.

I heard Metc Benz were going to make breathing masks, 2000 a day?

I don't know the call rate, but in a usual 12 hour shift I'll got to 6-8 jobs, covid at its peak for us I was going to 3-4 jobs per shift, but that's because a lot of our usual calls are related to anxiety/loneliness/mental health in the elderly, but when covid was peaking they didn't want to go to hospital or be exposed to us thinking we'd give them covid. The job numbers are back up to usual again, all the mental health stuff is back and we're getting calls for stuff that should really be GP things, but the surgeries aren't open.

We don't have ventilators on our ambulances, they were all taken off in January and binned.

I don't know about Mercedes Benz making CPAP's

 

[sim667]

Also bellaozzydog just to say the Littman is still doing me an absolute solid..... Our trust removed all of the obs kits off trucks, and given personal issue ones to all staff except my clinical grade, and the one thing that senior clinicians don't want to share with you is their stethoscopes.

 

[sim667]

I've still got the last 3 questions of my coursework to do, and have been told I should apply for AAP as soon as I'm finished this course during my probation meeting the other day. Also, I'm out of probation and all official now

 

[sim667]

My trust has opened up applications for AAP Apprenticeships. Its in a different area to where I work at the moment, but its about the same distance to drive to work..... I don't know if I should apply

 

[nogojones]

My trust has opened up applications for AAP Apprenticeships. Its in a different area to where I work at the moment, but its about the same distance to drive to work..... I don't know if I should apply

There's no harm in applying, gives you more time to think about if you want to do it

 

[sim667]

So I'm a year in now. I never did apply for the external AAP apprenticeship as I worked out I didn't meet the criteria, with no level 3 science based qual. However they're advertising for internal AAP applicants at the moment, and I am eligible to apply for that as they're consider experience in lieu of level 3 (they have to as they suspended my level 3 qualification, which has been the topic of some anger). So I'm going to go for it, but I'll be surprised if I get it as I've only been there a year.

Its been a hell of a year though, covid chaos, and I seemed to be a bit of a shit magnet when I first started. I've got better at dealing with children, but worse at dealing with mental health as the fatigue of how many of them has worn me down so I definitely need to work on getting my mental health mojo back. I've had a great Band 6 para as a cremate who's been teaching me shit loads, but they've been promoted to band 7 elsewhere, so I don't know what happens to me now, but I'm taking it as a sign I should really push on to go for the band 4 AAP training as I'm pretty set that I want to do a para course, but I'm a bit concerned I'm not bright enough for para. I have decided if I do ever make it to band 6 para though, I don't want to go into team leader roles, and I will be too fat and old to attempt to get into HART

 

[Sue]

Good for you, sim667. Talk about timing though! But you know if you got through the last year, you can get through anything.

 

[izz]

I don't know you IRL sim667 but I'm still quite proud of you, I think you've done swimmingly and the fact that it hasn't all been easy just makes it all much more of an achievement.

 

[Edie]

Well done sim667 ive got two cousins (and one cousins husband!) on the ambulances and I have every respect for you all. Keep up the good work

 

[sim667]

Interview for the AAP on Sunday 10th..... Wish me luck

 

[cupid_stunt]

Interview for the AAP on Sunday 10th..... Wish me luck

The American Academy of Pediatrics?

 

[Rebelda]

Interview for the AAP on Sunday 10th..... Wish me luck

Ooh good luck! You're flying

How's it going? LAS were absolutely crippled on boxing day and still having to queue calls yesterday as I discovered when I stopped to help going by a bike accident.

 

[sim667]

Ooh good luck! You're flying

How's it going? LAS were absolutely crippled on boxing day and still having to queue calls yesterday as I discovered when I stopped to help going by a bike accident.

I'm not counting as getting the post, there's been people at my level for 3/4 years who are going to have a better grasp, but its practice and I can interview quite well.

We've been absolutely balls to the wall busy, I haven't been in since boxing day morning, but I've seen the social media stuff about only calling if its life threatening, and I know that kent had 400 ish calls in the stack on boxing day. I can't say I'm surprised though, there were barely any trucks on xmas day.

 

[sim667]

The American Academy of Pediatrics?

Associated Ambulance Practitioner (Apprenticeship).

Its basically what technicians are called now.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Associated Ambulance Practitioner (Apprenticeship).

Its basically what technicians are called now.

That makes more sense, good luck.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Interview for the AAP on Sunday 10th..... Wish me luck

Good luck

 

[sim667]

I wasn't successful at interview, the whole process was an absolute clusterfuck however.

Everyone who joined at the same time to me were rung about 2 hours before their interviews and told not to attend because they didn't have enough road hours to progress, so clearly I didn't either, so I rang up and was told I did, so I didn't question it and attended. Of course I got lost on the way, went through a red light whilst trying to work out where to go and got an NIP.

 

[sim667]

So I've lost my crewmate temporarily (she might be coming back to me in May), and I'm floating around just working with whoever I'm put with on the day. I'm really noticing the difference between the old school para's and the younger ones. The old school ones will let you have a go at attending, but lose patience and then just take over, I get the impression a lot of them think we're here to share driving and carry bags. A lot of the newer ones are 100% this is your job, I'll step in if I think you're overlooking something, or the they tend to be very collaborative on all jobs, its definitely the approach I prefer.

I'm definitely still keen to train up, I've even been looking at the possibility of funding my own para course, but its just way out of reach of what I can afford, plus I'm not eligible for student loans, and even if I was I wouldn't be able to afford to support myself without working full time. So just keep plodding on with it.

 

[Rebelda]

Sorry pal, it's disheartening I know. I hope the right opportunity comes up for you soon.

 

[sim667]

Sorry pal, it's disheartening I know. I hope the right opportunity comes up for you soon.

I'm sure it will.

I'm still waiting for the feedback from my interview (I've been told it likely won't come), but I've got an idea of what I could have done better anyway, just because of hindsight.

I'm keeping an eye on LAS too, as I could go train with them once I've finished my level 3