Career Options

I thought this may give people who are just starting or who are looking at being a paramedic an idea of where your career pathway can go. I have deliberately not included the obvious career ladder within the ambulance services such as management and training, but have included higher education opportunities and management positions outside of the NHS ambulance services.

Please do contact me if you know of other pathways that paramedics can go down, preferably with internet links as that would save me time.

Thank you. Mike

This page is still under construction

Offshore Medic

Overview
Offshore Medics are normally on Supply Vessels or Oil/Gas Platforms. There are a few vacancies on exploration vessels but they are few and far between. Pay is normally £200 to £350 a day (sometimes less or more depending on type of contract). If you are offshore for more than half the year you do not have to pay any TAX in the UK. Rotations are normally divided between two medics (called back to back). Of ten 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off but can also be 3/3, 6/6 or 8/8. Which basically means you work for half the year and have the other half off. But you don’t get paid for the time you have off. Working conditions are usually very good. The duties are clinical care for all personnel n board (which is often mundane such as sea sickness, colds etc or primary care), health promotion, health and safety and an awful lot of clerical duties. It can be very boring but is easy money most of the time if you can put up with the paperwork. Not a true paramedic role and you will have to seriously consider how you will maintain competence in acute care if you are doing this for any length of time.

International SOS
One of the largest employers of offshore and remote medics in the world.

FrontierMEDEX
A huge international Remote and offshore medical company also deals with security and many many other contracts on the international stage.

ExMed UK Ltd
Highly specialist company which offers worldwide opportunities in a wide spectrum of projects. Also offers all the courses you would need to start and maintain competency in the industry.

Tactical Medic

Close Protection Medic

Overview
This job is definitely not for everyone.

Close protection medics are assigned to a 'client' this may be an individual or a small group of people. Their primary role is protection, secondary is medic.

Most people who go into this are normally ex-forces as they have the solid base of knowledge regarding all things military.

CP Medics normally work in unstable areas of the world ad unlike their colleagues in the armed forces who have a huge support system in their base of operations, the CP Medics are often isolated and rely on contacts made locally and their understanding of the situation they are in and the best way to get out of it. Sometimes they do have help from coalition forces but often not.

In the past 10 years there has been an increase in the number of CP Medics who do not come from a military background. Some are young and adapt well to their newly chosen career, but some are much older and they haven't faired quite as well.

I am not a CP Medic but I know a few who are and will ask them to re-write the above to give everyone a better understanding of the role.

Ronin S.A.
Well respected company both teaching and have the potential to place CP Medics

Remote Medicine Medic

Expedition Medic

Out of Hours Practitioner

Overview
Working for Out of Hours doctors services can be financially rewarding but the volume of work if heavy. The companies don't expect ECPs to be as fast as the doctors in patient turn around times initially and in fact they prefer you 'get it right' rather than make bad decision.

OOH GP/ECP work can be in walk in centres, cars in the community, telephone assessments or OOH clinics (by appointment)

With the good companies there will be a good support network if you are unsure about diagnosis on a particular patient and organisation will support you in second opinions but don't expect this to be over used otherwise they would question competency in the role.

ECPs do have weak areas which are usually addressed by the company with additional education and support palliative care, paediatric ailments (non-acute) and things like rashes.

Serco Health
One of the major players in the UK market for delivering OOH physician care. They do take on ECPs on occasion.

Emergency Room Practitioner

Minor Injury Practitioner

Clinical Researcher

Consultant Paramedic

University Lecturer

Medicine - Physician