In this episode of The Institute talks, we talk about the invaluable experience gained through a paramedic apprenticeship and the range of progression opportunities available.

In this podcast, our host Fariba Carr is joined by Justin Honey-Jones, a senior paramedic and a member of our Health and Science route panel. He is also an associate lecturer in Paramedic Science at Anglia Ruskin University.

Justin speaks about his own experience from routine calls to the bigger emergencies such as Grenfell Tower and how to decide if an apprenticeship is the best path and where to apply.

He also mentions how apprentices on average gain 1600 to 1500 hours of front-line clinical experience per year, whereas university students will have 750 hours per year of frontline experience. All that experience allows apprentices to see the whole system, and as Justin stated:

“The paramedic qualification is just the start of a wonderful journey, but it's a golden ticket and it's what you do with that ticket that kind of opens up your path and your aspirations.”

Transcript

Fariba Carr

Hello. I'm sorry, Fariba Carr, head of membership, communities and events at the Institute and your host for this podcast. Today for this Employer podcast. I’m delighted to be joined by Justin Honey Jones, a senior paramedic and a member of our Health and Science Route Panel. Welcome, Justin.

 

Justin Honey Jones

Thanks for having me, Fariba.

 

Fariba Carr

So, give yourself a little bit of an introduction.

 

Justin Honey Jones

I'm Justin, I'm a senior paramedic with east of England Ambulance Service, and since the first of January this year, I started as a clinical educator with St John Ambulance. And also, I'm an associate lecturer in Paramedic Science at Anglia Ruskin University.

 

Fariba Carr

Thank you, I'm so glad that you could join me today. So, let's get started, and perhaps you could tell me a little bit about how you found your way to being a paramedic. What made you choose this profession?

 

Justin Honey Jones

To be honest, there's a few key events really throughout my life, and I've ever since a young child, it's all I ever wanted to do was to be a paramedic. I mean, there was no specific reason. But more more events that happened. I mean, 911 was a key event. I remember being the age of 15, I was doing my work experience and I was at the Fire Service Training College in South Wales. I remember literally over lunch seeing the tragic events that happened at 911. And it was the first experience of seeing quite a large-scale incident of firefighters, paramedics, police officers all working together. It was key public services and I had quite a significant impact and that was also linked with work I was doing as an army cadet at the time outside school. We were learning about first aid and developing first aid competitions and ultimately led to my sort of started my career really as an army reservist with the Royal Army Medical Corps, and I trained as a combat medical technician. That’s when I started having my first interactions with paramedics and nurses and doctors, and it kind of cemented my career. I knew that's what I wanted to do.

 

Fariba Carr

Thanks. That was really interesting to hear what inspired you. Do you feel that the career that you've had since then has lived up to what you thought you were going to be doing? Is it is it different in any ways?

 

Justin Honey Jones

You know, it's really interesting. If I think back when I was a child, you know, what you think of a paramedic was what you would see on casualty or E.R. or those type of medical programs. But it's nothing like the TV shows. To actually be a paramedic, you start to see that, you know, it's anything and everything in life. Colleagues and I will frequently say the job is about the circle of life. I remember one of my most significant shifts was when I started in the morning and we delivered this beautiful baby boy who came into the world at 7:00 in the morning, in the back of b