Jobs with The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS)
Thursday, 19 May, 2022
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is continuing to recruit for newly qualified paramedics and technicians after employing an additional 540 frontline A&E staff in the past financial year – the highest number of staff ever to have joined the Service in a single year.
The new staff include 414 technicians, 25 paramedics, 58 newly qualified paramedics, 23 advanced practitioners and 20 ambulance care assistants across the three regions (East, West and North) and the recruitment drive is continuing.
There are now plans to recruit qualified paramedics and technicians across the country at various locations, including Aberdeen, Peterhead and the Highlands. Two staff who work in Aberdeen have detailed the attractions of working and living in the city.
Gordon Robertson, 25, grew up in Tayside and has been in his current role as a newly qualified paramedic (NQP) for the past seven months in Aberdeen. He said the Service was expanding career pathways for clinicians with exciting opportunities to progress into Primary Care, the 3RU, critical care, air wing and management.
He said: “The Grampian region has a lot to offer with awesome coastlines and scenery and it's only a stone's throw from the Cairngorms. It’s a great place to live and work, especially if you like the outdoors. In Aberdeen station we are a very close-knit team and despite being quite new to the area, I felt very welcomed from day one. Colleagues are more than willing to help and we often arrange socials outside of work to keep in touch with each other.
“Working for the ambulance service in any capacity is a rewarding career where you do genuinely make a difference to people's lives. You’ll work alongside caring and compassionate colleagues who are keen to teach and mentor new starts.”
Rachel Brown, 25, has worked for the Scottish Ambulance Service for 5 1/2 years and is currently an ambulance technician. Prior to joining, she volunteered as a Community First Responder for two years.
She said: “Aberdeen is a great place to work. We have a pretty big station with a great bunch of colleagues working from there. Everyone gets on so well and there’s never a dull moment. We try our best to socialise regularly out with work; we aren’t just friends who speak at work! Scotland is a lovely place to live and work, with a lot of exploring to be done.
“I joined the ambulance service because pre-hospital and emergency care is what I wanted to work in. Being able to tend to, help and treat children and adults of all ages is what I wanted to be able to do. We meet so many lovely people, hear a lot of interesting stories and on occasion help bring new babies into the world which is something pretty special. As a whole, it’s a very sociable job. You are never alone and we are very much a team with a good support network for one another.
“To anyone thinking of becoming a technician and joining the service - do it! It really is a great job with such a variety of challenges and work on the daily basis - no two days are the same.”
Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “The last 12 months have been the busiest ever in terms of recruitment for the Service and this is great news for the people of Scotland. With the increased demand for our services, it’s vital we introduce extra resources and staffing and I would encourage anyone who is interested in a career with the Scottish Ambulance Service to apply now.”
If you are interested in finding out more, visit www.scottishambulanceservice.com
