Ambulance and Events Volunteers Ngā Tūao Waka Manaaki me ngā Tūao Kaupapa

Join our mission to improve the health and wellbeing of all New Zealanders

If you’re drawn to an organisation that encourages a healthy and balanced lifestyle, then you’ve come to the right place. It takes time and commitment to become a Hato Hone St John Operational Volunteer, but it will be one of the most rewarding journeys you ever take.

“The Hato Hone St John frontline is incredibly lucky to have hardworking volunteers providing professional medical care to the community, along with friendship, loyalty and care to their work and colleagues.”

Hato Hone St John Director of Clinical Operations.


What would I be doing?

No two days will be the same! One day you could be covering community events like a local sports game or a school fair, and another you could be attending a massive international sports tournament or a rock concert. You could also be one of our ambulance workers responding to emergencies across the country every day. You will be trained to face a myriad of challenging and sometimes random events.

For frontline emergency ambulance crew, your role would depend on the size and needs of your community. Our volunteers respond to 111 calls in their local areas, look after patients being treated at the scene, or accompany them as they are transported to a medical facility.

Regardless of the situation, your focus will always be on providing quality care to patients.

Click here to see Common stressors for the role

How do I become an Operational Volunteer?

Being physically fit, in excellent health, working well in a team and working well under pressure are all vital to completing your training with Hato Hone St John and for working on the frontline.

We will need to make sure you are in good health, that you work well in a team, and that you can work under pressure.

During the recruitment journey you’ll be assessed against Hato Hone St John’s medical standards. A fitness related assessment is part of the recruitment process. You will be tested on your agility (Range of Motion), Strength (Press Ups) and Fitness levels (A timed 1.6km walk).

If you are currently receiving or have in the past any medical treatment for an injury or illness or are awaiting specialist review or surgery, you will need to provide clearance from your health care services to progress your recruitment with Hato Hone St John.

You must be able to manage the psychological stressors and demands of operational Ambulance Service provision.  You need to be honest, and culturally sensitive. We work with people at their most vulnerable, and it is important that our frontline team can be trusted to put the wellbeing of their patients first.

Click here to view the Operations Volunteer Recruitment Roadmap

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 STJ Medical Standards

Before you can volunteer at events and be part of an ambulance crew, you can expect full driving, risk management and medical training.

Once in the field, you will get ongoing support in your role, and continue to develop and learn new skills with regular training. You will need to be available for at least one training session every month, as well as at least two regular duty shifts.

Ambulance & Events Volunteers are provided with a full uniform. We also reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses such as travel and meals.

Support you can expect after joining our team

We will give you all the support and education needed to make you safe and effective in the field. This includes:

  • A two day Operations Induction course.
  • A two day Operations Risk Management course which is designed to help you stay safe in the field.
  • A two day Ambulance Driving course (where driving is part of your role) which is supported by online learning and the completion of a driving logbook.
  • A four day First Responder course which is designed to enable you to assess patients and manage immediately life threatening emergencies in the community. This is supported by online learning and the completion of a First Responder Student workbook.

At the completion of the Operations Risk Management and First Responder courses you will be issued with a Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Emergency Care (First Responder) and will hold the clinical practice level of First Responder (the foundation clinical level for ambulance in New Zealand).

We will aim to complete this process with you within seven months of recruitment (however individual timelines may vary based on your location, the time of year and your ability to make time to participate in the education process).

 

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."

 

Click here to see how to apply

If your location is not currently advertising for volunteers, please register for job alerts and you will be notified when we advertise.

Interested? Find volunteer opportunities near you

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Come and join our friendly and professional team!

We have a range of exciting volunteer and career opportunities across New Zealand.

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