Student Paramedics

The HSE has on-going opportunities for Student Paramedics. In order to meet this requirement it is the intention of the National Recruitment Service to create a national supplementary panel from which current and future Student Paramedic training places will be filled.

The recruitment and selection process for this campaign will be managed by the NRS and will involve various stages. The stages of this process are as follows:

Stage 1 – Application Form (www.hse.ie)

Stage 2 – Supervised Verbal Evaluation and Logical Thinking Testing

Stage 3 – Eligibility Sift in line with UCC course entry requirements

Stage 4 – Competency Based Interview

Full information on the testing / assessment stages is available in this Job Specification and in the Additional Campaign Information document.

There are a number of documents that candidates will be required to submit at the Testing/Assessment stage of the process. If you are interested in the role of Student Paramedic we would advise you to start gathering those documents now. The tests for this recruitment campaign are provisionally scheduled to take place on Thursday 02nd & Friday 03rd March 2023 and the documentation must be available for submission at that time. Candidates who cannot produce the required documentation will be deemed ineligible and will not progress further in the selection process.

Please refer to the Ranking/Shortlisting/Interview part of this Job Specification and the Additional Campaign Information document for further information on the documents you will be required to submit.

Location of Post

National Ambulance Service College and Operational Divisions throughout the National Ambulance Service (NAS) as required to facilitate training placements.

Details of the HSE National Ambulance Service Structure are provided at:

Student Paramedics are required to work in any division of the NAS and can / will be re-assigned between locations as and when service need dictates.

Every effort will be made to offer geographically convenient postings; however, we may be unable to facilitate this because of operational requirements.

Details of Service

The role and purpose of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) is to provide a clinically appropriate and timely pre-hospital patient care and transportation service. Pre-hospital emergency care and transportation services are provided as an integral part of a continuum of care for patients / clients, and there is a requirement to work in partnership with other health care providers in both Scheduled and Unscheduled Healthcare Services.

Purpose of the Post

NAS is committed to providing an efficient and effective Emergency Ambulance, Intermediate Care, First Responder and Communications Service which meets in full, all statutory duties and public expectations.

NAS is seeking persons interested in undertaking the Paramedic Training Programme (including Internship) and acquiring Registration as a Paramedic with the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC).

The intention of this process is to provide a pool of suitably qualified paramedics, licensed to practice by the Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC), who will be offered positions at the grade of Paramedic at various locations throughout the NAS.

The Paramedic (PHECC Registered Paramedic) will be competent to carry out all of the duties of the Paramedic (PHECC Registered Paramedic) and will have a range of abilities which will permit the safe delivery of emergency care and transport within the framework and limits specified by PHECC.

The Paramedic (PHECC Registered Paramedic) will be responsible for the care, treatment and movement of patients and maintaining self, vehicles, equipment and station in a manner fit to respond to that role.

The Paramedic Training Programme is operated jointly by the National Ambulance Services College (NASC) and the College of Medicine & Health, University College Cork (UCC). Successful completion of the course will lead to Paramedic Registration with the pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council and award of the BSc (Hons) in Paramedical Science, UCC. 

Tenure

The post of Student Paramedic is Specified Purpose. Any posts that may be offered, either specified purpose or permanent, full time and pensionable employment as a Paramedic (PHECC Registered Paramedic) are subject to successful completion of the Paramedic Training Programme, successful discharge of the Paramedic Internship and successful acquisition of registration as a Paramedic with PHECC.

Appointment as an employee of the Health Service Executive is governed by the Health Act 2004 and the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointment) Act 2004 and Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Amendment Act 2013.”

Remuneration

The Salary scale for the post as at 01/02/2022 is:

€29,341, €31,315, €32,109, €33,405, €34,115, €34,653, €35,511, €36,380, €37,240, €38,963, €40,552 LSI

New appointees to any grade start at the minimum point of the scale. Incremental credit will be applied for recognised relevant service in Ireland and abroad (Department of Health Circular 2/2011). Incremental credit is normally granted on appointment, in respect of previous experience in the Civil Service, Local Authorities, Health Service and other Public Service Bodies and Statutory Agencies.

Working Week

The hours of attendance i.e. average of 39 hours per week calculated over a predetermined period of time, involves shift work. You will be expected to be available for duty outside of the rostered hours as and when the need may arise. Shift patterns are normally of 8, 10 or 12 hours duration. A shift pattern may have a period of On Call incorporated. Rosters and periods of duty will involve working at weekends, nights and during public holidays.

You will be required to work the agreed roster arrangements advised to you by your line manager.  Where you are required to work unsocial hours and/or night duty you will be remunerated at the nationally approved rates for your pay grade.  

Where you are not assigned to a roster, your Supervisor will notify the working hours allocated to you at least 24 hours in advance. Where an unforeseen event such as staff availing of bereavement, force majeure, paternity or sick leave, staff injury, Stress Management stand down, a major emergency or critical staff shortage occurs, you will be required to change allocated working hours (& leave) at short notice, i.e. less than 24 hours’ notice.

Annual Leave

The annual leave associated with the post will be confirmed at Contracting stage.

Closing Date

Monday 6th February at 3pm