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Once you have been working as a registered paramedic for two years, you can progress to roles that allow you to carry out more treatments, specialise in specific areas and take on more responsibility.For the more senior paramedic roles, you first have to work as a paramedic and be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You then take extra training for one of the roles for experienced paramedics. You may have to take a further qualification, depending on which qualifications you already hold.Most jobs in the NHS are covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales and experienced paramedics usually start at band 6. This pay system covers all staff except doctors, dentists and the most senior managers. Although senior paramedics work standard hours of around 37.5 a week, these are often on a shift pattern. Shifts can cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the year, so a paramedic’s work pattern may include, evenings, nights, early starts, weekends and bank holidays.Experienced paramedics need to be calm in stressful situations, resilient in dealing with other people’s strong emotions, able to work quickly and carefully, have good communication skills, excellent driving skills and be able to use equipment and machinery.With experience, you could become a team leader, supervising the work of paramedics and emergency care assistants. You could become a manager, responsible for several teams. In some ambulance trusts you could progress to consultant paramedic, advising on and developing the clinical practice in that service. Teaching or research are other options. Some experienced paramedics choose to join a specialist team such as caring for stroke patients or working on an air ambulance.
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Physiotherapy assistants make a difference to the lives of our patients every day by helping them recover from a range of illnesses and conditions. It is also a route to becoming a physiotherapist.
There are no set entry requirements for physiotherapy assistants. Employers expect good numeracy and literacy and some experience or qualifications in health or social care. Employers may ask for GCSEs in English and maths. Apprenticeships in healthcare can provide you with experience to apply for physiotherapy assistant and other clinical support roles. You will be given the training you need to do the job, including an introduction to the department and its procedures and how to set up and use the equipment. You may be offered the chance to study for qualifications such as the NCFE CACHE level 2 Certificate in Healthcare Support Services or the NCFE CACHE level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support.As a physiotherapy assistant you will typically start on Agenda for Change band 2 or 3. With further training and experience, you could apply for more senior positions at band 4 - eg as an assistant practitioner. Physiotherapy assistants in the NHS work standard hours, which are likely to be around 37.5 a week. This may include evenings and weekends. Terms and conditions will usually be different for physiotherapy assistants working outside of the NHS.As a physiotherapy assistant, you need to be happy to be hands-on with patients, willing to demonstrate exercises, able to use gym equipment, a good listener, calm and understanding, happy to talk to and work with groups, able to follow procedures, able to motivate people, willing to work alone or in a team and physically fit. You'll also need good organisational and communication skills and the ability to explain treatment to patients.With experience, you could become a team leader supervising the work of other physiotherapy assistants. You could apply to train as an assistant practitioner or, with the qualifications needed for entry into university, as a physiotherapist.