National Ambulance Service Student Paramedic Recruitment

The National Ambulance Service (NAS) advertises vacancies for student paramedics on www.publicjobs.ie , the leading recruiter for public service jobs in Ireland. Sign up for an account today and you can be notified of future vacancies that match your preferences.

View the NAS Recruitment Information Pack here.

So the application is open, what do I need to apply?

Information below updated from recruitment campaign NRS04506 December 2016. Sample job specification for campaign NRS04506 can be found here: nrs04506-job-specification. Please note, requirements may change for future campaigns.

Education:

  1. Be in possession of a minimum of six passes in the Leaving Certificate Examination Ordinary Level or higher including Mathematics and a Science subject (i.e. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture Science)  Note: A Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) EMT Certificate is acceptable in lieu of Science subject.
  2. or An equivalent qualification
  3. or A Degree at NFQ Level 7 or above from a recognised Higher or Further Education Institute

Driving License

Be the holder of a full unendorsed Class C1 Driving Licence on application. (Note Irish 78 Restriction is not acceptable). Please note that the Ambulance Service will not accept candidates who have accrued over six penalty points on their licences into the Paramedic Training Programme.

See http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Learner%20Drivers/Third%20Directive/categories.pdf for explanation of categories

Notes:

  • The minimum six passes in the Leaving Certificate Examination must be taken at Ordinary Level or higher. A pass equals a grade at D3 or above in an ordinary or higher level subject (formerly known as pass or honours)
  • Mathematics & Science must be two of the six subjects.
  • Science subjects are Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Agricultural Science. A Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) EMT Certificate is acceptable in lieu of a Science subject where the applicant already possesses six passes in the Leaving Certificate.
  • Leaving Certificate Applied or Leaving Cert Vocational Programme will not be accepted.
  • Subjects taken at Foundation Level or Link Modules will not be accepted.
  • A primary degree awarded by an accredited third level institution will be accepted in lieu of the Leaving Certificate, subject to approval by UCD Admissions Office.
  • Candidates who completed secondary school education in other jurisdictions must have a recognised school leaving qualification. Please note that vocational qualifications are not accepted.
  • Educational qualifications obtained from other jurisdictions will be assessed on an individual basis in accordance with University College Dublin’s Admissions policies. Typically educational qualifications from other jurisdictions are eg. GCE / GCSE, O/A Level

Okay, I meet the requirements, what next?

Wait for a recruitment campaign to advertised on the NAS website and publicjobs.ie. Following submission of a completed application form you will be invited to sit a session of aptitude tests at the Public Appointments Service’s premises on Abbey Street in Dublin. The aptitude tests required to be completed on the most recent recruitment selection were verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning. If you are not familiar with aptitude tests there are many websites, books and companies offering training on these to build up your confidence before sitting the ones that really matter.

Subsequent to the aptitude tests the applicant is given a temporary panel position, which will decide whether they are called to the interview stages or not. The interview process is structured, and includes talking about topics such as your background and relevant experience to the role, why you have applied for the job, discussing your application form and incidents where you worked as a team member, used problem solving and decision making, and where you have shown your ability to cope under pressure and display leadership skills.

Your panel number may be readjusted based on your performance in the interview and this becomes the final panel to which you are assigned. Classes are then formed from this panel and candidates contacted as classes are formed.

So what about the college itself?

The National Ambulance Service College (NASC) presently runs courses through two campuses, in Tallaght, Dublin, and Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. These colleges have lecture halls, training rooms and state of the art equipment to offer along with functioning ambulances. Your tutors will be highly educated and qualified paramedics and officers of the NAS, with years of on the road experience to back up their knowledge and skills.

The academic awarding body for the paramedic programme is the Centre for Emergency Medical Science at University College Dublin. (www.ucd.ie). Successful completion of a the NAS student paramedic programme leads to the award of a Diploma in Emergency Medical Science (DipEMS) awarded at Level 7 on the NFQ.

What does the course entail?

The course is two years in duration, involving classroom lectures, intense practical training, driving course, clinical and field placements, and a one year internship, and not to forget…exams!

Clinical placements are carried out in various departments of hospitals including Emergency Departments, Operating Departments, care of the elderly, paediatric wards, while field placements are carried out initially as a 3rd person with a frontline paramedic/advanced paramedic crew, offering the student experience and exposure from all angles both in hospital and pre hospital. Throughout the course case studies and learning portfolio must be completed and submitted to UCD, as must call logs following ambulance calls attended by the student which are also to include learning points from the call. A three week advanced driving course must be completed and passed by the student where the student is instructed and assessed by independent assessors

The one year internship sees the paramedic intern work as part of a two person crew, where again they will complete ambulance call logs and a learning portfolio, but also be subject to on the road assessments by NAS Education and Competency Assurance staff. The most rewarding part of the internship is a chance to work as a day to day paramedic on a frontline ambulance with a qualified, experienced, colleague as a mentor. The final, and one of the most crucial parts of the course is the exit interview which determines whether or not the student is permitted to work on the road, beyond their internship, as a paramedic. This interview explores knowledge, experience, call logs, attitude, and overall ability to be able to work on the road as a paramedic within the NAS.