Any paramedic students/graduates?

[cbr guy]

cool, sounds good Brett. yeah i'd prefer to do a job that makes a difference than just money.

[Donor]

Is the St John qualification recognised by other services? I want to keep Australia in my options list. but anyway, thanks again!
cheers

St John quals carry NZQA accreditation, so they're viewed rather warmly overseas.

[0arbreaka]

If you want job and life skills get a job at a hospital doing something mundane i.e. orderly, thats what I did, it keeps you fit and you get to meet some really interesting people. And when your ready you can go and do your st johns course, a couple of my colleagues just left to do just that. And in doing so you get a better idea as to what the job involves.
My 2c

[RT527]

If you want to get some life skills , then try joining a volunteer fire brigade....some of the time ambulance dont get their patients untill weve freed them from the vehicle, which often means seeing the really bad stuff up front and in your face.

But on a more serious note, a volunteer ambulance officer or events officer , as has been pointed out gains much more hands on / practical on the job training than anything else, besides why waste money on a course if after a year or two you decide you dont like it?.

good luck deciding.
another thing ...I dont know if it can be done , but is there a way that Cbr Guy can get to ride along for a couple of shifts , and get an Idea about what its all about?....

[Brett]

Not unless he wants to come up to Mt Wellington from Invercargill.

But in all seriousness he may ask at the local station to do an observer shift or two. Depending on the boss at the time, may get a yes or no.

That is something I would like to organise in the not too distant future...ahem ahem.

[Riff Raff]

I don't know whether it's changed, but to do an observer shift you had to be 20 or over. Will have to check on that.

[cbr guy]

that's great about the st john qualification, to be honest i haven't looked into that side of it as much as i should! thats pretty funny about MAS, weirdos. yeah hospital work, good idea, i had a holiday job a while ago, might follow that up, hope its worth the boredom.lol. RT527, good idea, a little extreme for me at the moment im thinking.thanks but im going to try observe, im only 18 but i may get something out of it.
Thank you for the comments everyone