Ambulance care assistants or Patient Transport Service (PTS) drivers drive disabled, elderly, sick or vulnerable people to and from outpatient clinics, day care centres and routine hospital admissions.
There are no set entry requirements to become an ambulance care assistant and Patient Transport Service driver. Most employers expect good standards of literacy and numeracy. Some may ask for qualifications such as GCSEs, NVQs or equivalent. Employers look for relevant work experience. It would be an advantage if you have worked with elderly or disabled people, either in paid employment or voluntary work. To drive an ambulance, you need a full, manual driving licence.
Most jobs in the NHS are covered by the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales and ambulance care assistants will usually start at bands 2 or 3. Ambulance care assistants in the NHS will usually work standard hours of 37.5 per week. Terms and conditions can vary for employers outside of the NHS.
An ambulance care assistant and Patient Transport Service driver needs a range of skills and characteristics, including patience, a careful driver, an interest in other people and their concerns, physically fit, good communication and driving skills.
You could progress to become a team leader or supervisor. You would be in charge of a team of assistants and drivers, responsible for allocating work and drawing up transport schedules.You could take further training to become an emergency care assistant. With more experience, you could apply to train as a paramedic. You would have to pass entrance exams and meet other requirements before being accepted onto a paramedic course.
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Liaison psychiatrists work at the interface between physical and psychological health, providing psychiatric care to medical patients.
Training usually starts with a five year first degree in medicine and two years of foundation training. You'll then do three years of core training (CT1–3), followed by three years of specialist training (ST4-6). This period of training will include completing your royal college exams. Length of training can vary according to your circumstances.
Doctors may work up to 48 hours a week. The working hours may sometimes extend beyond the normal working day to include early mornings, evenings and weekends. You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. Once you start your specialty training as a liaison psychiatrist employed by the NHS, you can expect to earn a salary of at least £40,257, which can increase to between £84,559 and £114,003 as a consultant.
You'll need empathy and compassion, excellent listening skills and a calm personality. Emotional resilience and initiative to work in challenging situations are also important. You'll also need excellent communication and team working skills along with good problem-solving and decision-making skills using logical/lateral thinking.
You could specialise or conduct research in areas such as cures for dementia, teach medical students or postgraduate students in training or get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector.