"The pleasure and reward of being able to change the course of people's lives while they are in a dire situation is what motives me," Robert tells us. Find out what else Robert loves about his job.

Robert is a Paramedic and he gave us a sneak peek into his day-to-day life so that we could learn more about careers in the medical industry.

Robert tells us that from a young age he knew that he wanted a career in which he could help people. Although at the time he wasn’t sure which career path to follow, it was in high school that he finally made the decision to become a paramedic. During his grade 11 year, Robert completed his basic ambulance course and in matric, applied to study his diploma in Emergency Medical Care. “The diploma course is fast-paced, physically, mentally and emotionally demanding,” Robert says. “It is designed to mold you into a world-class paramedic.”

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After completing his postgraduate studies, Robert started working for the KZN Emergency Medical Rescue Services, now known as the KZN Emergency Medical Services. “I started off by working shifts and after being reassigned to an office post, I had a greater role in management, quality assurance and infection prevention and control, while still responding to serious emergencies,” Robert explains.

Paramedics are emergency response medical professionals responsible for making quick diagnoses and administering immediate medical care to victims of accidents, violence and sudden illnesses. They need to be able to provide quick, controlled transfers to healthcare facilities, and need to keep patients stable while they are in transit. However, beyond treating the patient, Robert says that being a paramedic also involves taking care of the patient’s family members as well as the entire emergency situation.

Find out everything you need to know about a career as a Paramedic. 

“Being a paramedic, especially an advanced life support paramedic is very emotionally, physically and psychologically taxing on you as a person,” Robert says. “However the pleasure and reward of being able to change the course of people’s lives while they are in a dire situation is what motivates me to continue being a paramedic. Being there and making a difference to the situation, which would have been worse or at least seemed worse to the people and victims involved had you not been there, is what keeps me going.”

We asked Robert what advice he would give to someone who would like to follow in his footsteps, and this is what he had to say: “To be a paramedic is a calling - it can’t be seen as just another “job”, and it is not for everyone.” It requires you to be confident, outgoing and physically fit and healthy, he adds.

He further advises those with an interest in paramedics to do more research regarding emergency medical services, and if possible, volunteer at an ambulance service to get a feel of what being a paramedic is about.

If you’d like to be featured in this Instagram series, send a mail to editor@careers24.com, telling us about yourself and your awesome job, and we’ll be in touch!