Paramedic practice
Each year about one in twenty of us use the accident and emergency ambulance service.
Paramedics are the senior ambulance service healthcare professionals at an accident or a medical emergency. Often one of the first healthcare professionals on the scene, they will assess the patient's condition and take potentially life-saving decisions about any treatment needed before the patient is transferred to hospital. They then start giving the treatment, with the assistance of the emergency care assistant or ambulance technician.
Working as a paramedic, no two days are the same, you’ll operate in different locations and need to think on your feet to deal with the diverse challenges that you will face. Paramedics work with patients, families and communities in primary care, acute and critical care settings.
A defining feature of paramedic care is that it is always available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with a focus on meeting people's immediate emergency care needs. Qualified paramedics are increasingly found at the heart of multidisciplinary teams working with other practitioners such as doctors and nurses.
Career paths in the modern NHS Ambulance Trusts include specialist practice, teaching, management and research. As a practitioner you can combine a number of roles and remain directly involved in client care as your career progresses.
See further details on our paramedic practice course
