About us
University of Essex St John Ambulance Society has been providing first aid training and volunteering opportunities to the University of Essex for over 15 years. We are the link between campus life and St John Ambulance - the UK’s leading first aid charity. As a society we aim to promote the values and objectives of St John Ambulance through offering all students at Essex the chance to learn essential first aid skills and fundraise for the charity. The society is also home to its very own operational unit, enabling students to gain operational first aid qualifications and volunteer across campus and throughout the country at a wide range of exciting events – including V Festival and London Marathon.
St John Ambulance is a Charity registered in England & Wales (no. 1077265/1) and the registered address is 27 St John's Lane, London, EC1M 4BU
https://www.sja.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/student-volunteering/find-your-first-aid-society/
Learn First Aid, Volunteer, and Socialise through the Society
We meet every Friday evening for an informal and fun training sessions (led by an exec member or a member of St John Ambulance itself) which cover a wide range of topics, including Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) & Automated External Defibrillator (AED), When to call 999, Patient Assessment (survey), Patient positioning and moving, Life-threatening Bleeding, Choking, Shock, Chest Trauma, Bites, Stings and Allergies, Anaphylaxis, Medical conditions, Strokes, Hemorrhage, Seizures, Asthma, Chest Pain, Childhood Illnesses, Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol, Opioid overdose, Burns, Fractures, Head and spinal injuries, Basic Water Rescue, Basic Fire Fighting, and etc. All society members are welcome, you do not have to have joined St John Ambulance or have any prior first aid experience, to take part in the Friday sessions.
There are hundreds of volunteering opportunities that we offer throughout the year which will provide you with a range of skills, experience and qualifications for your CV. As well as this you can gain accreditation for your volunteering through V-team (run by the Students' Union) and The Big Essex Award (run by The University). Every hour you volunteer for us counts towards your V-Team certificate and can count towards either the experience or the volunteering part of the Big Essex Award. Any training you attend counts too! The volunteering opportunities we offer include promoting first aid awareness on campus, fundraising for St John Ambulance, The Society itself, or other relevant charitable organisations and helping to support the wider St John community through acting as casualties for large-scale incident simulations, and helping to host training conferences and exercises.
If you wish to take part in our society activities, you will need to Join our society, this only costs £4 and lasts for the rest of the academic year.
As a member you will get:
- Weekly training + full of First aid advice
- Monthly socials
- Many other fantastic events
Operational Volunteering
If you're interested in taking your first aid skills to the next level, then you might want to join the society's very own operational unit of St John Ambulance that provides 'front-line' first aid care at a multitude of events, on and off campus.
Volunteering at Regular First Aid Events
There is a small commitment of 60 hours of volunteering a year, which is less than one shift a month! Many of our members do much more than this because they enjoy it so much!
Volunteering at Large First Aid Events
You will also get the opportunity to volunteer across the UK, our members have attended events such as: V-Festival, London Marathon, Football matches, Notting Hill Carnival, and Hyde Park concerts.
How to join St John Ambulance
If you want to help provide first aid cover at events you will need to complete SJA membership paperwork and then attend an induction course. After your induction training you will become an observer and be given an ID card. If you chose to continue you will need to complete a second course to become an FA (First Aider) within six months of your induction. You may be offered further training on more advanced skills, including AFA (Advanced First Aider), EAC (Emergency Ambulance Crew) or EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). You might also want to specialise in non-clinical skills and instead become a registered First Aid Trainer, Treatment Centre Manager, Radio Controller, or Radio Communications specialist.
If you would like to volunteer as a First Aider with us you will need to join St John Ambulance for insurance and training. This involves a DBS (CRB) check, and a short interview. In addition you will need to provide two references. Paperwork can take some time to complete, so it is essential that you inform your references that they will need to complete a simple form and send it back. For more information on how to join St John Ambulance please come along to one of our Friday sessions or send us an email.
https://www.sja.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities/