FutureParamedicPete Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Hello, I have been in contact with my local branch of St. John Ambulance in regards to volunteering as a Medical First Responder, and have been told that they will train me to their Advanced Medical First Responder level of first aid. My question is: would volunteering with St. John Ambulance help me improve my first aid skills, and (possibly) land me future employment with a paramedic service in Ontario? I was also told that I must be at least 16 (which I am exactly that age), and they would pay for any certification(s) I would require to volunteer with them. The only license they won't pay for is a driver's license, which is required to drive the ambulance (I already have my G1 and passed an MTO-certified Driver's Education course, so getting the required license shouldn't be too hard for me.) Regards, FutureParamedicPete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMislove Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Hey there, I know a ton of volunteers tend to be aspiring paramedics/ police/ fire types, sometimes with pre meds. You would definitely learn to establish rapport with patients who need first aid, but also quick thinking and team work. I would suggest it as it can be a good experience, just depending on the morale of the branch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughLuck Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 I used to volunteer with SJA for over 3 years as an MFR - the skills, experience and education are priceless. Beyond just learning how to do things, you also learn about the different roles in the medical field, and most importantly - learn how to deal with people. Your soft skills are as important to work on as your first aid skills. I would probably suggest to start there and see if they have people in the branch that have gone through the route you are interested in. In my old branch we used to have a few people that went through that path. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garceyues Posted July 3, 2018 Report Share Posted July 3, 2018 A bit off topic, but would any of you know if St. Johns Ambulance has a search and rescue program? Someone I know told me they did, but I called them and they said they didn't :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comprehensible Posted July 3, 2018 Report Share Posted July 3, 2018 7 hours ago, garceyues said: A bit off topic, but would any of you know if St. Johns Ambulance has a search and rescue program? Someone I know told me they did, but I called them and they said they didn't :/ Some units do, some units don't. But they don't tend to be super active (maybe 1 search per year) as far as I'm aware. If you're interested in SAR, I'd look into marine/air opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garceyues Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 On 7/3/2018 at 5:31 AM, Comprehensible said: Some units do, some units don't. But they don't tend to be super active (maybe 1 search per year) as far as I'm aware. If you're interested in SAR, I'd look into marine/air opportunities. I guess it wouldn't really look too great as an EC if I am only doing it once a year. If I was to look into marine and air opportunities, how 'involved' with the military would I have to be? I don't want to be a soldier or anything in order to do this . Military involvement for SAR would look really good though I am sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 23 hours ago, garceyues said: I guess it wouldn't really look too great as an EC if I am only doing it once a year. If I was to look into marine and air opportunities, how 'involved' with the military would I have to be? I don't want to be a soldier or anything in order to do this . Military involvement for SAR would look really good though I am sure SAR Techs are pretty badass. It's not trivial to become one. http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=what-it-takes-search-and-rescue-technicians/hs7g0ibb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhominem Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 If you have any major ski hills around, consider volunteering with the Canadian Ski Patrol. Its a great volunteer gig (free skiing and pro deals on equipment) and you get plenty of hands on trauma experience. My guess is that it would be more substantial experience than you could expect with SJA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMislove Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 5 minutes ago, adhominem said: If you have any major ski hills around, consider volunteering with the Canadian Ski Patrol. Its a great volunteer gig (free skiing and pro deals on equipment) and you get plenty of hands on trauma experience. My guess is that it would be more substantial experience than you could expect with SJA. Probably true, unless you do SJA in a big city. Half the time you might just be sitting around at SJA lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comprehensible Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 1 hour ago, ploughboy said: SAR Techs are pretty badass. It's not trivial to become one. http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/news/article.page?doc=what-it-takes-search-and-rescue-technicians/hs7g0ibb Haha ya it takes like 10 years of experience in the regular military (the 5 the article mentions are very rare) before you can even try to go through the SAR Tech selection process, plus they're essentially advanced care paramedics, with high end flight training, rock climbing skills, remote survival capabilities, diving abilities, etc. Definitely the masters of SAR, the only real comparable individuals of whom I'm aware of are US rescue divers. I was suggesting more CASARA or coast guard/coast guard auxiliary for OP, although the ski patrol option mentioned above is also super cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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