Meet the Team: Alan Jobson

Our Training Development Officer Alan Jobson has worked at North East Ambulance Service for over 20 years and is a key member of the specialist skills team. Here we find out what his role involves, how he got the ‘training bug’and what he finds most rewarding about his job.

Our Training Development Officer Alan Jobson has worked at North East Ambulance Service for over 20 years and is a key member of the specialist skills team. Alan Jobson recently won the Public Nomination award at North East Ambulance Service's Beyond the Call of Duty awards, which are held annually to recognise the outstanding contribution of our 2,500 staff.

Here we find out what his role involves, how he got the ‘training bug’and what he finds most rewarding about his job.

What does your job involve?
I develop and deliver a range of training for customers as part of the specialist skills team at North East Ambulance Service, which also includes statutory and mandatory training for both customers and our staff.

I also get involved with research and development on material required for new and existing courses. This is done on a regular basis so that the information collated can be used to write or update new and existing packages.

I also develop existing and new clinical and non-clinical programmes for some of our internal teams. This includes designing and developing course and technical materials to ensure that the training is delivered effectively and meet the objectives.

What does a typical day look like for you?
The key word is flexibility regarding my day to day duties. Delivering training sessions is often a daily requirement that will take me to various places in the North East and sometimes even further afield. When I’m not training I’m normally at my desk or attending meetings and functions such as conferences.   

How did you get into the role?
I was asked to help deliver CPR training to doctor surgeries due to staff shortages back in 1997. From there I got the training bug and proceeded to enroll on a college course to obtain training and assessing qualifications culminating in a University of Northumberland degree in training and education.

Can you tell us a little bit about your previous experience?
Before working in the specialist skills team I was employed by North East Ambulance Service to work in the GP out of hours schemes as a driver/assistant for the doctors, which included providing transport for the patients utilising the Patient Transport Service.

Working with GPs introduced me, and provided me hands on experiences and opportunity, to deal and assist in the primary and urgent care of patients. This included meningitis, mental health support, diabetic emergencies, stroke, epileptic seizures, asthma, drug and alcohol overdose, child illness such as measles, mumps and rubella and CPR and defibrillation.  

Transporting patients also presented me opportunity for hands on moving and handling experiences.

During my time at North East Ambulance I have also had the opportunity to work in Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Gibraltar and Syria. 

What are you passionate about?
Our Specialist Skills offers a fantastic opportunity to raise finances for the Trust as all money raised gets reinvested back into our patient care and transport. It also brings us together with the public and commerce allowing us to put something back into the community through our knowledge and skills. How can you not be passionate about raising much needed funds and helping people? 

What do you find most rewarding about your job?
I’m also very much focused on drug overdose and alcohol awareness and how our training makes a difference to people such as drug misusers and their families. For example in July 2016 one of the learners used the skills she acquired during our training to save the life of an overdosed person prior to the ambulance attending. It’s those stories, and the impact that our training can have on real lives, that really make the role worthwhile.