I started my EMS career already in high school: When local NGOs presented their work during an event at my school, I signed up as a volunteer with the Maltese, one of the four big aid NGOs in Germany. I started with the 80 hours first aid course and after my 16th birthday, completed a 160 hours first aid medic course and started volunteering with the Maltese at events.
After enlisting in the army, I completed basic field medic training, followed by further medical education, including combat medic training. I served among others as a unit medic / field medic, physician’s assistant sergeant in an army health center and training sergeant for conscripts.
After completing my tour, I went to med school and completed my paramedic training. Since 1998 I’m a licensed paramedic and I have worked on ground ambulance including doctor’s ambulance and air ambulance at various municipal rescue services as well as NGOs. After a few years on the streets, I moved to first work as an ambulance control room dispatcher, taking over as head of ambulance control room and EMS chief at the Red Cross ambulance service in Krefeld after a few months.
Malteser in Deutschland (The Maltese in Germany): https://www.malteser.de/