Emergency Care Assistants Lucy Thompson and James Cooper represented SCAS at the Grove Academy Careers Day on 21 September, giving students an opportunity to learn more about careers within the ambulance service and try their hand at lifesaving skills.
SCAS was the only emergency service represented at the careers day, and Lucy and James spoke to students about their roles as Emergency Care Assistants, their experiences of working for SCAS and the different opportunities available within the ambulance service.
There was particularly strong interest in the practical activities. CPR and AED demonstrations proved extremely popular, with students keen to have a go and learn what they could do to help someone experiencing a cardiac arrest. In fact, the demonstrations attracted so much interest that a little more space would have been useful!
The careers day forms part of a wider programme of engagement with Grove Academy and the local Roma community, aimed at building relationships, increasing awareness and understanding of ambulance services and helping to tackle health inequalities.
SCAS has already delivered several sessions at the academy, including targeted engagement with Roma students, covering CPR and defibrillator awareness, when and how to access 999 and NHS 111, and other important health messages.
Returning to the academy for different activities gives us an opportunity to build on these relationships over time, engage with students in different ways and make our services more accessible and familiar. The careers day also enabled us to introduce young people to the wide range of career opportunities available within SCAS.
A huge thank you to Lucy and James for giving their time to support the day and for making the CPR demonstrations such an engaging part of the event.