Hi James, thank you for the comments. Congrats for joining the ambulance ranks as a much needed ECA. There are so many other videos on this channel that you may find helpful. Hope to see you on the road sometime. x

Hi Victoria, so glad you are able to get a little help from these videos. I am so pleased to hear you are starting on this wonderful adventure of an ECA. Best of luck with the training. Please do keep in touch x

Hi Kane, you are very welcome. Best of luck with everything and please do keep in touch with what is happening on your journey. x

Hello my dear friend! So great to hear from you. We MUST catch up in RL or SL sometime. Always really worried to hear when you are not well, so please do message me when you can. Evening in SL and I will reply as always. Love to all xxxxxx

That's awesome news! congrats xxx let me know how you get on.

What role did you go into in the Welsh Ambulance Trust ? Looking to join WAST soon. Thanks

Congrats for your conditional offer! The hoops are worth it in the end. If there is anything that I can shine a little light on let me know. If I know the answer or have experienced it I will help. Get the paper work sorted and the id etc which is the things which HR keeps missing somehow and be prepared to resend a few times :) For your DBS check ALWAYS send it as recorded. It does cost a little more but you can then prove that they have it. Best of luck and keep in contact with your progress :))

Freyja Joyner thank you. Very exciting. Working through all the pre employment checks. The only thing I’m unsure of is what the check on the medical with occupational health. Did you have to go through this? I’m overweight but hope that won’t result in an offer being withdrawn. Thanks.

Hi Andrew. Yes everyone has just gone through that on Tuesday this week. We basically have to make sure that we know as much about our jabs as possible and if uncertain on things like Hep B boosters, they will just give you a little blood test (which honestly doesn't hurt because I feel everything) and then in a week you will know if you need a booster. You will also have a blood pressure test. Their machine was way off and had me at 199/90 ! haha In fact I was 120/80 which was taken only a day before. As for your weight, it shouldn't matter too much as there are a few heavy ECAs out there. What you would need to prove in your physical is that you can walk up and down stairs carrying a load for about 5 mins I think and then do a first aid manoeuvre for 10 minutes. This is to test your upper body and stamina. If you are worried about weight, then just try and SLOWLY get it down with walking, a cleaner way of eating etc. Don't worry about it too much at this point in time. You can always go and get a check up at the doctor for blood pressure etc and if they give you a thumbs up then you are there. If not, then you know that you have a little improvement todo but that should not stop you from the job if you can do it without harming yourself. If you need a little help with ideas, let me know. I'm a qualified Personal Trainer and am happy to offer advice. No charge :)

Freyja Joyner thanks for that. Fitness and strength are fine. Just a poor BMI. fingers crossed all ok. We have to have the medical before a confirmed offer is made. So I was a little worried. Hope your trainings going well!

Hello Marika! So lovely to hear from you and thank you so much for your comments. It can be a waiting game but as soon as you have your C1 you will hit the ground running:) you have an amazing medical background already and so it will not be too difficult for you to slot right in. Dorch is a fab place and I’m sure that wherever you go , whenever you start, you will be made most welcome. Yes please do keep in touch as I always love to see and hear other ecas and so forth whenever I can. I shall be uploading another video soon so I’ll give you a shout out :)

Hello Marika! So lovely to hear from you and thank you so much for your comments. It can be a waiting game but as soon as you have your C1 you will hit the ground running:) you have an amazing medical background already and so it will not be too difficult for you to slot right in. Dorch is a fab place and I’m sure that wherever you go , whenever you start, you will be made most welcome. Yes please do keep in touch as I always love to see and hear other ecas and so forth whenever I can. I shall be uploading another video soon so I’ll give you a shout out :)

Haha sorry I answered it with my other profile. :) how embarrassing x

@@paramedstudy 💕thank you so much Freyja. Looking forward to hearing from you xx

So excited for you. Keep in touch x

@@paramedstudy I will! Is there a way I can reach you elsewhere as I don't always get KZfaq notifications? X

@@sophiebell5186 You can email me :) The link is on this channel x

@@paramedstudy whereabouts? Might be going crazy but I can't see it!

@@sophiebell5186 lol no worries, try contact@freyjafaraday.com

Hey :) I took a pad of paper and pens with me, yes certainly a good idea. They do supply you with material and for me because of my dyslexia, they provided some screen printouts too. Just ask on the day. Looking forward to hearing about your first day/week :)))

Hi Phil, sorry for the long delay. Had problems my end, but hoping to be back properly again soon. I got onto ECA training by initially being a PTS and wanting to move further into medical help. I looked online on the NHS jobs website where they advertise all their jobs. For ECA to Student Paramedic, I was able to apply internally but you can also go the external uni route too. Glad to have you on board and welcome x

Hi Laura, thanks for the questions. As a student I have not been able to do my first OSCE as I am still off long Covid. I did do practice for patient assessment. The algorithm is the one which you are given at the start Ie, looking at your CABCDEs. If you get stuck, then take a breath and go back to basics CABC. If they are bleeding out, deal with first, the airways etc. To keep it to memory, hang up photocopies of the papers in kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and anywhere you walk in your house to keep the memory intact. There is not much more I can comment on as sadly I have not been able to return as yet as a student. If there are any student paras on this channel that can advise Laura please do speak up :)

@@paramedstudy Thank you for all your advice. I hope you are able to return to work soon. Your content is amazing. Take care of yourself x

@@lauramcpherson1277 Thank you x

Hi Kim, thanks for your question. I did my driving test over 25 years ago so have my C1 already. However I do know that those that don't have their C1 as yet can pay for it themselves. I don't believe that it is 'funded' by SWAST but its a good idea to ask HR anyway just in case.

Freyja Joyner You was lucky with having that on your licence. Thankyou I will be looking into doing it before I apply do I e got it under my belt. Hope your getting on ok

Thanks and thanks for your comment. Let me know how you get on.

First of all CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is a massive step. You will be placed in a 'pool' until a post is available in the areas you said you are happy to travel to. I waited about 3-4 months for mine, but it can take a little longer. Worry not, you will get placed as they need ECAs still. While you wait perhaps keep looking at the highway code as you will need to know this in more depth for the blue light driving xx

@@paramedstudy Thankyou for your reply, I will definitely practice, practice, practice. All of your videos have been a fantastic help,so Thankyou! Look forward to meeting you one day x ☺

@@jobrakes7080 So proud of you x

Hi Jo. Well done getting through the interview process. I applied at Christmas and was interviewed in March. You are so right, great to get the call that you had passed and then the waiting for a vacancy to come through. It seems that a period of between 3-6 months is not unusual. I'm now assign to NBOC and starting training at the end of June. Why not consider working as a Community First Responder in the interim. A great way to meet your future colleagues! Neil

@@cahillneil1 Congrats Neil :)

Hey Laura, first off, congrats on getting this far. It's a massive step and achievement. Each Trust will differ from the tests they give to their students. I am unfamiliar with Bristol ways I have to say. However, I would say first of all ask Bristol themselves what ANP should be looked into. I would imagine the systems of the body like Cardiovascular, Digestive, etc. But it would be best to check with your tutors to be sure as you would not want to overload yourself with the study you don't need at this moment in time. There are great books out there like Ross and Wilson which gives detailed but easy-to-follow ANP at our level. Here is an example on Amazon: amzn.to/3FxGu7y Ask Bristol and if you need further help, let me know so I can look into it further for you :) Stay safe x

Hey Laura, thanks for the question. Congrats for being part of the ECA team! That's an amazing achievement. You should be very proud of yourself! You had sent another question about what to expect I think, but it was removed by accident by little fingers. Can you send again so I can answer it for you?

@@paramedstudy thank you for your reply. So sorry about late reply. Thankfully I passed my written paper :) osce to go. I hope you are well x

@@lauramcpherson1277 congrats!!!!! keep looking at the paper or parts you find difficult to remember just before you go to bed as that is the first thing to remember in morning. It worked for me, so maybe help you too. Just take small chucks at a time not the whole thing as it will overwhelm you. When one part remembered move on to next then return and do whole lot remembered again and so forth. X

@@paramedstudy thank you that's great advice. I will definitely adopt that x

Hi Tony, first off, that's amazing work you have done for 14 years. You hero :) Having learning disabilities does not stop anyone from becoming an ECA or for that matter a Paramedic or doctor etc. The ambulance Trust you join and the university will help you through the challenges of your difficulties. As multiple learning needs student myself, I really felt stupid before starting and also struggled with giving myself the time to start this work. I wish I did it sooner, but any age is okay and help is always there. Writing/tests etc you will be given extra time and resources should you require them. The best thing I would advise is to have an actual diagnosis if you don't have one already and then you can hand that into the training school to allow them the ability to prepare for your specific learning needs. You may be able to get a free diagnosis through the NHS if you already work with them, so check that potential out. You obviously have a lot of people/patient skills which will massively benefit you and the ambulance service. So don't hold off anymore, just go for it. What have you got to loose? :)) let me know how you get on and if I can help in any way. I have so many videos from the start which may also help you. Good luck x

@@paramedstudy thank you for your reply it’s given me a little confidence boost 😊

@@tonymtb914 You are more than welcome x

Hi Muz, first of all, well done for continuing on your journey and not giving up. We can learn from our past experiences, so when you had applied/interviewed previously for PTS, what happened? Maybe then we can pull the experience apart and see where we can improve for the next application. For me, I looked into the job, so I knew what I was going to do. I asked lots of questions about the trust and the job itself. I made sure I was well presented, had clean short fingernails etc. I tried to keep eye contact as much as I could and smiled. They know when you are nervous, just need to relax. For me, it was difficult for eye contact as I have slight ASD which causes me to look away when talking. Above all, just be polite, humble, and be yourself. Let me know about what happened and maybe we can work together to help you get there :)

@@paramedstudy Thank you Freyja for your encouraging message…my first interview they told me i needed to improve on the scenario questions and that my nerves did get the best of me as my head went blank on few of the questions then my second interview they told me i needed to add on more to the questions asked to gain more points …after that iv not had any luck in getting through my application just hasn’t been accepted for the past year now … but im still applying for it …i really want to join the nhs team i met some awesome people and how they help and encourage other people around them now that’s a team i would love to be part of…yes i was well presented too im ocd with cleanliness lol and yes i did have a hard time staying with eye contact i ended up looking away …so i dont know if i need to improve my supporting information on the application form or what i can do to get my application accepted again …really appreciate it Freyja for you helping me out thank you so much 🥰

@@musclessssssssssssss You are gaining valuable knowledge on how to pass the interview with these smaller setbacks. So you know that you need to have an idea of different scenarios, so for this, think about a situation you have been in, or what you think you would do and write it down. Do this for about 6 of them to armor yourself for questions similar so that you can prepare for the question and feel more able to answer. I had questions like, a member of my crew was being talked down to in front of a member of the public and what would I do or say. So here you could say perhaps you chat to the person in confidence to ask if they were okay and if there was a bully type of problem, who you would report it to etc. Things like that. Or a child is crying in fear of having their needle so perhaps you could ask the parent for help to distract them. If you get stuck let me know and maybe we can flush it out a bit together. Another could be a language barrier, could you enlist the help of a bystander to interperatate or use an app on the phone :) Above all keep trying x

@@paramedstudy thank you for you’re great feedback Freyja i will definitely take that on board your awesome once again thank you very much 🥰

@@musclessssssssssssss You are very welcome. I'm just one person, there are hundreds more and better people out there who can advise you, but thank you x

Hi Nick, thanks for the question. In the Trust I belong to they did a sort of test where they checked blood pressure and also asked of any past medical history. Then, a physical test involved a little bit of cardio, for which honestly is nothing at all. Don't worry about the past medical; they just need to see how they can work with you. So for me, I told them of my learning problems and my white coat syndrome when my blood pressure is measured :) The best thing to do is ask your HR department and then work to achieve whatever they need. Hope this helps? x

Thank you

@@nickhill1875 welcome x

Hey, thanks for watching and for your question. Training was (in St Leonards) 8/8.30am to around 5pm, Monday to Friday, however sometimes we left earlier. I guess it will depend on your training centre. We didn't have a real full on day until the last week or two for the end of training exam (which is fine and they prepare you very well for it.) Hope that helps with your question. Anything else let me know. Are you applying or have applied for a job yet?

@@paramedstudy thankyou:)

Hi Hanah, yes from day one you are paid for the training. Then when you pass your pay goes up.

Hey Josh, thanks for the question. In my cohort it was about 16 I believe. In other classes I have heard they had 20 or more. I guess it depends on where you train etc.

@@paramedstudy Thanks for the reply👍