Emergency Medical Dispatcher

The St John Ambulance Communications South team are looking for resilient, empathetic and customer focused superstars to join us taking emergency calls as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher - Call Handler, based in the centrally located Justice Precinct, Christchurch

We are looking for people who want a new challenge in their career and are seeking a meaningful and rewarding role where they can contribute to ensuring the best patient outcome at every shift This role suits a person who shows empathy, has exceptional communication skills and the ability to gather and analyse critical information quickly and accurately.

Take a read through the information provided below to get a better understanding if this is the right role for you

**Day in the life of a Call Handler**:
The role of a Call Handler is an exciting and unique role where your main outcome is to ensure the patient receives the right care at the right time.
- What will taking a call be like?_

Call Handlers take inbound calls (often sometimes back-to-back), ensure we get the right information from the caller, such as their current location, phone number, and the reason for their call and then, utilizing our internationally accredited triage system you will ask a series of clinical questions to determine the priority of the response required for Dispatch. 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) then dispatches the closest or most appropriate resource._

At times, you will stay on the call and provide assistance and instructions directed to you while receiving updated information from the caller, for example:

- Imminent childbirth
- CPR
- Bleeding control instruction

Does this sound like you need to have a medical background? Good news, you are not required to have any medical background knowledge as you will undergo an intensive training period to enable you to give initial advice and instruction to callers

**Training**:
**Must have skills**:

- Computer savvy, able to operate in a dual screen environment and type accurately
- Resiliency is a must
- Able to analyse critical information quickly
- Able to listen, understand and type accurately while under pressure
- Empathetic and caring manner with each caller
- New Zealand Citizen or NZ Permanent Resident
- Ability to work rostered shifts, including day and night shifts over 7 days
- Have excellent communication skills in English
- Ability to multi-task in a Windows operating environment with multiple screens

**Shift pattern**:
You will work an average of 42 hours per week on rostered shifts over a 24/7 pattern of 12-hour shifts - two days and two nights followed by four days off

**Career development and progression**:
To kick start your career with us you will receive the intensive call handler 10-week training and mentoring program, with future opportunities for you to become a mentor, and potential to move into a Dispatcher role with training provided in future. Within the Amb Comms Centre there are other leadership roles if you are interested in career progression such as a Call Handling Team Leader, Duty Centre Manager and the Wider St John... the opportunities are endless
- We welcome and encourage diversity in our workforce and adhere to best practice equal employment opportunity principles as well as commitment to delivering equitable outcomes in all aspects of our recruitment and our ways of working._
- Haramai ngā tai o te āniwaniwa, he kāhui rangatira tēnei, he kāhui whakamana tāngata whaimahi, e te iti, e te rahi e_