nremtp

Does anyone know of any vacancies for a Paramedic in Australia? I now hold the Diploma of Paramedical Science as I was RPL'd based on my UK and US qualifications. I am looking for somewhere that I can enrol on the intensive care paramedic programme but in the meantime I just need a job! A work visa isn't a problem as I have been awarded a visa subject to me having $5000AUD in my bank account when I enter the country.

Do you guys over the pond use rapid response vehicles? i.e. a Paramedic in a car? In the UK it is common to have a Paramedic in a car backing up a technician (BLS) level ambulance.

I vote NO - only the females :wink:

To the oringal poster - it seems that the only person who has a problem with your sexuality is you! I used to work for an ambulance service that was pretty much 100% gay. This was an NHS ambulance service where almost the entire control room were gay and most of the frontline staff were gay. Did I have an issue? NO! However, so many gays decide to mince about forcing their gayness on everyone else. They put up posters about gay pride marches as another poster said, they complain constantly about how nobody accepts them because they are gay and generally just start to annoy people. People don't care that someone is gay what gets their back up is when this gay person goes on and on and on and on about it. This then winds people up so much that they start to shun the gay person. Then guess what....... the gay assumes they are being shunned because they are gay. I bet that your being gay doesn't annoy anyone half as much as the way you are about it. Why do gays make such an issue about being gay? Why do they have to tell the whole fricking world they are gay? Why do they shove it in everyone's faces to the point of making us vomit? Why mince around the streets waving flags? If I had a straight pride march I would be arrested! We live in a world of double standards. It is OK for muslims to complain about china pigs in shop windows offending them but when they march through the streets of London waving banners saying "death to Christians" and dressed up as scuicide bombers this is OK!!! Same with gays! It is OK to be proud to be gay but being proud to be straight is a crime! So in a nutshell, nobody really gives a monkeys about you being gay unless you mince about at work being unprofessional or making inappropriate comments. I had a gay crewmate who thought he could mince and make inappropriate sexual remarks, a quiet word in his ear and he is fine now. So put your flag away, get on with your job and stop rubbing everyone's noses in it. If someone doesn't want to accept your sexuality guess what.... That is their choice! We tolerate things, that doesn't mean we have to accept things! Tolerate simply means we put up with it we don't have to like it. So don't try and force your lifestyle choices on other people, don't complain when they don't accept your lifestyle choices because guess what.... it's their choice not to accept you! Get over yourself pal, nobody cares!

WOW reality sucks! Is it really that bad? I have extensive business experience prior to EMS. What do you do when citizens fail to pay? You can't refuse to transport them next time surely. If they don't have insurance who foots the bill? Are contracts not put out to tender then? Or do you have to find an area that doesn't have appropriate cover and say "we'll cover this area"? I will ask our consultant the appropriate questions once I am over there but I thought a bit of friendly free advice could be found on here. It seems the best advice is DON'T BOTHER!

How competitive is the 911 field? I want to start a 911 ambulance service and tender for contracts but how competitive is this market? We have found a consulting company who are prepared to offer their services and help us set up and get our first EMS contract but what I want to know before I spend money and make the move is exactly how competitive is the tender process? I would be setting up in Texas because this is where my school is and this is where I am going to be licensed.

In the UK we are legally expected to check for an alternative entry before making a forcible entry, kicking a door in without ruling out other options is illegal. We often ask the police to attend and 9/10 times we are told they are either not available or we end up waiting hours for them! I have sat outside a house for 3 hours before waiting for the police in a non life threatning call. If it's life threatning I will try and break in if I have to and inform my dispatcher so that the police can attend to secure the premises. I would rather the fire brigade forced entry than me as they have specialist tools but fire don't like being woken from their slumbers for anything less than a 3 tender job :wink: My crew mate broke his ankle trying to kick a door in last summer which was funny to all but him. The door was reinforced with a steel fire proof core and he just took a running kick at it. Door didn't so much as shake but he was on the floor in agony

Kicked a door in once causing a lot of damage to the door frame (I'm not a small guy) the patient asked us to do it so no lawsuit. On the other hand I have had legal documents requesting my attendance due to a lost walking stick (and a cheap £1 one at that), lost spectacles and a damaged MDF cabinet from MFI where the stretcher rubbed against it. I would never offer to repair something unless I negligently broke it and in any case I am sure our insurance would meet the cost of any expensive repairs. Damage caused in the course of my duties is not my problem, I note it on the PRF and tell my dispatcher (yes it's MY dispatcher and nobody else can have her/him)

That course appears to be the Cert IV in Basic Emergency Care which I will automatically be RPL'd for. The course I was looking at doing is the Diploma in Paramedical Science with www.medicone.com.au in Perth. There doesn't appear to be any road time or hospital time in any Diploma course I have seen either with medicone or firstresponse.

Okkkaaayyy so here is what I found out last night in a lengthy telephone call to Aus. Can someone PLEASE confirm whether this is true or not? Scope of practice in Australia is determined by the employer NOT by a national standard. So an Advanced Care Paramedic in one territory with a certain employer may be completely different to a member of staff with the same title in another territory with another employer. Training is inconsistent and although HLT07 will set a core standard, a lot of the training is optional so even having the same qualification does not guarantee that a paramedic has actually received the same skills. A UK Paramedic is mapped to Advanced Care Paramedic but this is only in Queensland, another employer may decide otherwise. A UK Paramedic has a higher scope of practice than an Advanced Care Paramedic in Queensland but less than an Intensive Care Paramedic but again this only applies to that particular employer. Paramedic is not a protected title in Australia and many first aiders are calling themselves "Industrial Paramedics" or otherwise so one Paramedic is different to another. Is this correct so far? I thought we had it bad here in the UK and I thought National Registry was a mess! I also spoke to a training provider who said I can RPL (I think this is the same as what we call APL in the UK) directly to Cert IV Basic Emergency Care. Also, it appears that Aussie Paramedics are "text book" paramedics as the courses I have seen do not include any patient contact time or in-hospital time. Is this correct? How on earth are you competent to intubate if you have never done it on a real patient? Or is this again down to the employer? Thanks in advance.

Wise words scott and I have taken them on board but please allow me to elaborate further: I am on an accelerated Paramedic programme which means I am doing all my theoretical study by distance learning, I then attend intensive classroom sessions over 4 months and then another 4 months of rotations. This visit to the US is being done in 2-3 trips on a Visa waiver (not strictly allowed but everyone bends the rules!) Basically, all the theory is done at once with the exams taken in succession one after the other followed by the rotations. So B exams, rotations, I exams, rotations, P exams, rotations in one massive chunk. I am only being permitted to do this due to my UK qualifications and because I scored 95% on a mock test. I note your observations about difficulty obtaining credit etc but I am not the only UK citizen to attempt a move to the USA, gaining a visa is actually the easiest hurdle as you note yourself there are also the other problems of moving to a foreign country. Interestingly enough, if you read one of my other threads I am also considering Australia which will be so much easier as they will completely reciprocate my UK qualifications. However, I am young and want to go to America for a while as well. If it doesn't work out then I will have lost a couple of thousand dollars but it is a learning experience.

Hey no problem Timmy thanks for your replies so far. I want to travel, as much as I love England I want to experience EMS in different countries and my goal is to go to a country that has no EMS system at all and help them set one up. Maybe that's just a stupid dream as I have no idea how to go about it but we have loads of old ambulances sitting in our yard that have plenty of use in them and I don't want to see them end up as burger vans! They are no good for UK EMS but would be ideal for a developing country. Anyone got any ideas how I can get involved in this sort of project? I don't have any money but I have a whole heap of time I can invest. So far I am planning on working in: USA and Aus and maybe Singapore (got a friend over there). I want to get about before I'm too old and have some kids and a ball and chain.

That certainly would be Texas and I have a Social Security number but I have never stepped foot on american soil (unless you count the embassy!) I was going to apply for a TIN but as I am not self employed I got a SS# instead although it is a strange number compared to the ones I have seen as it starts 999 **** ** I am obviously not going to put the full number here! I have spoken to my tutor and colleagues and they have never seen a number starting 999 either. According to my visa application, being a licensed Paramedic (which I will be when I pass my NREMT-P and submit my application to Texas) will make me eligible for a visa. As my future employer is paying $1000 or so extra for fast track it should only take a couple of weeks. I already passed a background check with mybackgroundcheck.com and I have never been to the US so I shouldn't have any problems with my finger prints. I couldn't find a state who would reciprocate my UK training so I started from scratch on a fast track course. NREMT have said I might be able to sit my exams in the UK before I travel to the US for my rotations, if not I will just have to do it all in one 3 month long trip! Apparently there is no shortage of Pearson Vue test centres in Texas so I shouldn't have any problems finding an exam!

In a nutshell YES because although QAS will reciprocate a UK Paramedic, this will not be the same in the UK as the scope of practice is less. So an Advanced Care Paramedic would not be equivalent to a UK Paramedic although it appears a UK Paramedic can reciprocate and be an Advanced Care Paramedic if they limit their skill set.

Thanks for that link, I downloaded the blue book which seems to contradict itself! According to page 2, an Advanced Care Paramedic is equivalent to a UK State Registered Paramedic but according to pages 5 and 6 the scope of practice of an Advanced Care Paramedic is quite a bit less than that of a UK Paramedic. It would appear that a UK Paramedic falls between an Advanced Care Paramedic and an Intensive Care Paramedic. Unless someone can correct me?

I struggle with tubing because I'm left handed. As a student I get funny looks when I use the "wrong" hand but it works for me so what's the problem? Are you sweeping the tongue? I used to lift but not sweep which meant the tongue was still blocking the cords. It took an experienced ODP to point out my problem but I am eternally grateful!

You could mary me ;-) I got my Social Security number for the US now and I have been reliably informed that once I pass my NREMT-P that as a licensed professional, I will have little problems gaining a work visa now that I have an employer to sponsor me.

Just wondering, what qualification/grade in Australia is considered equivalent to a UK Paramedic? I have seen several levels/grades/titles and I am curious. As I understand there is Cert IV, Diploma in Paramedical Science and Advanced Paramedic? Which is equivalent to a UK Paramedic, how long is the training and what does your training involve? Thanks

I am immune to TB having had the BCG vaccine does this mean my mandatory TB test will come back positive when I start my rotations? How is this going to affect my employment chances? Surely the employer will understand that I have been immunised? I have been exposed to TB prior to the vaccine but the occy health nurse said TB spreads through prolonged contact in a close environment and it is uncommon for medics/EMTs to catch TB as they simply aren't in contact with the patient for enough time. Based on the information occy health gave me during my Technician training and throughout my career I wouldn't worry. I am more concerned about Hepatitis than any other infectious disease personally and TB, HIV and other diseases worry me less. I use BSI with every patient and we can only do our best. If we worried about dieseases we would quit our jobs! I simply look at the number of GPs (family physicians) and the fact that they are rarely sick to know that being in contact with a disease doesn't mean we are going to catch it.

It reminds me of those bounty hunter programmes you see on TV with the bounty hunters running around with AGENT plastered all over them and badges hanging form their necks. In fact most states have banned bounty hunters from wearing anything which might make them look like cops. They knock on doors and shout "AGENT!" or "ENFORCEMENT AGENT!" and when the perps are arrested they say things like "God damn cops what did I do?" Does this ring any bells? Seriously dude drop the badge idea and stick with your ID card you are asking for trouble and a badge bought from the internet kinda shouts "WANNABE!" I'm not saying you are I'm just saying how it might appear to any professionals in your close proximity at the time. Sure you might impress the waitress in your local coffee house but Mr Smith and Mr Wesson do not make good bed partners.

I am looking into other companies as well and have listed about 40 that I am going to approach and according to their websites they are 911 companies not transport/transfer companies. I asked about AMR because I know they are so big and the bigger the company the bigger the staffing requirements and therefore the more likely they are to shell out $2000 for a work visa for a qualified paramedic. I am going to offer to forefit my golden handshake if they pay for my visa instead i.e. instead of $5000 over 5 years for example I will forefit this in return for visa sponsorship. What company would possibly turn this down? They are guaranteed a qualified paramedic for the duration of the visa who can't leave and it is costing them $3000 less!!! Just waiting for my instructor to authorise me to take them CBT exam and then I'm on the next flight over. I would love to work in California actually too much baywatch I guess lol I can't move to another part of the company acutally as my visa would specify my place of work and to move would mean another visa application. So if I was based in Florida I would need a new visa to work in Hawaii for example. Unless the company was very clever in how they worded my employment contract and then the Department of Labor would have to agree to it anyway. Thanks for all your help guys, I have no interest in becoming a US citizen or anything like that I just want to work and experience other EMS systems and I know where I would rather wake up every morning expecially in the Winter!!! Florida/Cali or England? England is a fantastic country in the Summer but our winters are cold and wet.

Thanks for your replies, I am not the one who pays for the visa it is the employer who does that. I'm not interested in transport it's 911 I want to do as that is what I do in the UK and I love it. I can't even do transport and then change jobs because my visa ties me to one job and one employer for the duration of it. What states do AMR do 911 in? A golden handshake is common in the UK as well it can often be up to £8000 tax free depending upon how desperate the trust are and how long you sign up for (if you leave you have to pay it back!)

Paramedics could complete the process themselves, they could fill in the huge HPC application form and pay their $$$ for it to be repeatedly rejected because it isn't completed the way the HPC want it completed, they then could fly over here and try to find a job themselves, they could apply to every ambulance trust in the country in the hope that they would get a job. They could then find out themselves that they can't get a job without Cat C1 and D1 on their licence, they would then find out that they can't get a job without the emergency driving qualification. They could then spend months trying to get on a driving course after first spending months trying to find where to get one. OR.............. We will assist them with their application and we will check the application form for them making sure it meets the standards and everything that is required on there is present. We will then hook them up with one of our own driving instructors for their C1/D1 categories, we will place them on the emergency driving course which we are able to do, we will then place them in a job with one of our client NHS trusts who use us as an employment agency and whom we have already supplied with paramedics. The choice is simple, do it yourself and face difficulties or have someone there with you to hold your hand through the process. OK we get paid by the trusts for each applicant we place but why should the applicant care? We are not taking any money from the applicant so I fail to see how anyone will be harmed by our venture.

Thanks for your reply fiz, I am considering Florida and according to the AMR website they have quite a few vacancies which appear to have been advertised for several months which means I will almost certainly get a visa. How short of Paramedics is the USA? Is there enough of a shortage for AMR (or any other company) to pay the $2190 fee to get my visa? Or are paramedics ten a penny? My instructor said that EMT-Bs are plentiful but there is a major shortage of Paramedics, how true is this?

I am 24 years old and want to travel a bit and further my career. The UK has excellent opportunities for Paramedics and many Paramedics have higher education qualifications. In fact I know of five Paramedics who had former careers in business and as such have MBAs. An MBA isn't a pre-requisite but the UK immigration would guarantee someone with this qualification a visa. At no point did I say an MBA was a pre-requisite I just advised that it would guarantee someone enough points to gain a work visa if they happened to hold one. The exchange rate would encourage Paramedics to come to the UK as the salary we are offering is £40,000 for 3 x 12 hour shifts which equates to $76,000 where the heck are you going to earn $76,000 in EMS in the USA? Are people on this forum always this aggressive and abusive? England is one of many countries someone could choose to live and work and I have seen many posts from paramedics wanting to travel to the UK. We have good weather most of the time, this is a great country to live and work in, we have a strong currency and thriving economy, the crime rate is lower than the USA, violence towards EMS is nowhere near as dramatic as you suggest. If you don't want to come to the UK then fair enough but please don't make pathetic posts like that in an attempt to try and undermine me. I am coming to the USA to further my own education, my own skillset and learn from a different system. That doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the UK, it doesn't mean I am "sneaking out the back door" just trying to learn more than I currently can. Any more crap like this and I won't bother using this forum anymore I wonder if this is why the membership is so low? Fear of attack from idiots?