A 64-year-old has qualified to become a paramedic after undertaking a shock late career change.
Peter Watters, from Penrith in Cumbria, vowed to work for as long as he “can stand it” after studying a two-year degree apprenticeship.
Watters joined around 200 students finishing a paramedic science course at the Carlisle-based Cumbria University.
Many fellow students had already begun working as paramedics, including at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Ambulance Technician drives an ambulance operated by paramedics from the South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS),
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The degree apprenticeship was introduced as an alternative to the three-year undergraduate course pursued by many aspiring paramedics.
It has also been offered to those already working for ambulance trusts.
Courses have been funded by a candidate’s employer in a further boost for those hoping to join the ambulance service.
Watters, a former technician, said: “Paramedics come in all shapes, sizes and ages, but the one thing that links us all together is enthusiasm for the job.”
Paramedics arrive at St. George's Hospital along with their young patient who is set down from an ambulance operated by paramedics from the South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS)
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He added: “We'll carry on going as long as we can stand it and deal with patients, so I suspect I'll be carried out, rather than walk out.”
The 64-year-old has been working as a paramedic at the North West Ambulance Service since March, Watters’ LinkedIn profile has revealed.
He previously worked as a science teacher and as an IT systems adviser in the British Army.
Watters obtained a degree in pharmacology from the University of Leeds in 1980 and later went on to receive a PGCE and MCSE.
Ambulances parked outside London Ambulance Service NHS Trust control room in Waterloo, London
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He also first volunteered as a technician and community first aid trainer for St John’s Ambulance in 2010.
Championing the degree apprenticeship scheme, North West Ambulance Service consultant paramedic Vinny Romano said: "It allows [students] to come out in an ambulance, practice their skill with a paramedic next to them, hone their skills that way, learn all the theory, put it all together.”
He added: "They've been at university for two years and they've achieved the same standard as any other paramedic in the country."
The NHS is currently ramping up efforts to hire more paramedics over the next decade.
The London Ambulance Service is even inviting paramedics from Australia and New Zealand to join to learn, develop and broaden their expertise in the capital.