Emergency Ambulance Service Ngā Mahi (Waka Manaaki)

24 hours a day, seven days a week

St John operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We use ambulances, four-wheel drive vehicles, rapid response units, motorcycles and other specialist vehicles to ensure we can reach people at any hour of the day in almost any terrain, weather or situation.

Every year we save thousands of lives

In New Zealand, the St John Ambulance Service attends nearly 400,000 emergency incidents and treats and transports over 460,000 people every year. We have more than 1,000 operational vehicles and 206 ambulance stations. St John provides emergency ambulance services to nearly 90% of New Zealanders. The only areas where we do not provide emergency ambulance services are Wairarapa and Wellington although we provide other services there - St John First Aid Training, St John Medical Alarms, Event Health Services and Youth programmes.

It’s not all about emergencies

As well as responding to emergencies, St John also transports patients for arranged hospital admissions to hospital outpatient clinics and transfers patients between hospitals or from hospital to home. Hato Hone St John also works closely alongside Police and Fire and Emergency services by providing medical cover in emergency situations.

Frontline ambulance officers are one of the most trusted professions in New Zealand. Our officers are on hand to treat and care for patients when they are at their most vulnerable.  We are the emergency arm of the health system, often the first on the scene providing vital emergency and out-of-hospital care to a high professional standard. Our clinical training is constantly being reviewed and aligned to national and international best practice. Some elements of our practice also include primary health care so we can ensure the right clinical care is carried out for certain health presentations. 

Every single day is different, challenging and incredibly rewarding.  This is a career where everything we do matters, making a difference to patients and their families.

As an ambulance officer at Hato Hone St John we’ll give you the support you need, while also helping you to gain industry-recognised qualifications and skills as you progress or if you already have the qualifications we’ll provide the experience to develop your career. We put a huge focus on clinical standards and developing highly-trained, effective, caring ambulance officers. Could that be you?

Checks you can expect before you join our team

• NZ citizenship or residency
• Full Police check
• NZTA Driver check (you must have a full licence)
• Physical assessment 
• Written assessment
  
• Reference checks
• Medical screening you will be required to meet the STJ Medical Standards. Click here to view the Hato Hone St John Medical Standards and click here to see common stressors for the role.
• Paramedic Registration and Annual Practising Certificate for Paramedic, ICP and ECP positions.

Clinical practice levels and authority to practise (ATP) - What is authority to practise (ATP)?

Ambulance personnel cannot legally supply or administer prescription medicines to patients on their own accord and therefore an Authority to Practise (ATP) is issued by Hato Hone St John’s Clinical Director to allow them to practice under the Clinical Director’s standing order. Depending on your ATP level (as described below) you have differing levels of clinical ability and these our outlined in our comprehensive Clinical Practice Guidelines. 

What are the different ATPs in Hato Hone St John? 

Hato Hone St John has five clinical practice levels: 

• First Responder – This is our most basic practice skill level. Building on the foundations of First Aid, First Responders are trained in patient assessment and resuscitation. They provide basic lifesaving interventions.
• Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) – This is the first entry level in Hato Hone St John with a formal authority to practise. These ambulance officers respond to incidents, assess and treat patients using a range of skills and medications.
• Paramedic – This ATP is acquired in Hato Hone St John after completing a Bachelor of Health Science in Paramedicine. Paramedics have the knowledge, skills and experience to assess and treat a wider range of clinical conditions, from relatively minor concerns to life threatening illness. 
• Intensive Care Paramedics (ICP) - These are specialists in emergency care, with additional skills, medicines, equipment and interventions to treat our most critically unwell patients.
• Extended Care Paramedics (ECPs) – This ATP operates at the same level as ICPs, but have a larger focus on lower acuity but often complex primary health conditions in the community. 

Can you handle being a Frontline Ambulance Officer?
Click here to find out if this is a role for you

Meet our team

• Rebekah-Judd - "In my opinion, paramedicine is still a profession in its infancy. In the near-future, I believe it will diversify substantially. There will be more opportunities, and I am really excited to see these."
• Jarrod Paget-Knebel - "I think it’s a must to have a good support system around you, especially within emergency care, due to some of the things you witness."
• Dan Spearing - "To be an ambulance officer is a balance of clinical and practical skills but also interpersonal and communication skills as well."
• Jack Wallace - "It was the combination of both the medical side and emergency services that drew my attention to paramedicine as the dream career for me."
• Jackson Whitham - "Everything we try and do in the ambulance service is about improving patient care and outcomes. In my current role, it’s not about saving minutes, it’s about saving seconds."