Day in the life of a Call Handler.
The role of an Emergency Call Handler with Hato Hone St John is exciting and unique, with the main focus being to ensure the patient receives the right care at the right time.
Call Handlers work 12 hour shifts, and their roster pattern is two day shifts, followed by two night shifts, followed by four days off. Their shift involves taking inbound calls (often back-to-back so the ability to bounce between situations is very important), ensuring they get the right information from the caller (such as their current location, phone number, and the reason for their call), and then utilising an internationally accredited triage system to ask a series of clinical questions to determine the priority of the response required.
Some callers may be given advice and referred to their GP for follow up. Where a patient requires a response, our Dispatch team (a separate team within the Communication Centre) sends the closest or most appropriate resource (it might be an ambulance, or it might be a rapid response vehicle). Sometimes the call handler will stay on the line and provide assistance and instructions to the patient while waiting for help to arrive, for example, in cases of CPR, excessive bleeding, or even imminent childbirth.
Call handlers start their career with a 10-week training and mentorship program, and there are opportunities for future career growth and development. Successful call handlers are empathetic, have good judgement and decision-making skills, and are able to multi-task. It’s a very rewarding role in a great team environment, but it’s not for everyone and requires a high level of personal resilience.
Sound like a career choice you would like to make?
A current opportunity is listed here https://tonycuttingdigital.net/42VOs5j
Please note this article was posted Friday, 26 May 2023 if you are interested in working for Hato Hone St John | Aotearoa New Zealand, you will find all their current job vacancies here https://join.stjohn.org.nz/search
Hope you found this article interesting
Tony Cutting
for The Kumara Vine and The Job Market
