ECA Course
Welcome to South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, and to the Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) Learning and Development page.
Your ECA foundation course has been designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills which will allow you to be ‘role ready’ as an ECA working on frontline emergency ambulances.
Your foundation training is an 8 week course and will consist of the following:
A Corporate day
- Driver Training
- Clinical training and ambulance placement
You will receive a course specific plan within your joining instructions. Maps and location information can be found alongside your pre-learning / course information here
You will have a named course director and you will be educated by education leads and education practitioners who have excellent pre-hospital care experience, mainly as operational paramedics. They will provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to complete your programme, and support you with any education requirements.
You will have a number of assessments during your course and an overview can be found here
During your introductory course you will undertake you will be allocated a place on the conflict resolution and restrictive interventions training course, which involves practicing low-level physical skills. These skills have been identified to enable you to provide appropriate safety strategies necessary for your role. It is important that you read the pre course joining instructions found here
If you have any course specific questions please refer to the Clinical Driving FAQs in the first instance or alternatively email Learningand DevelopmentAdministrationteam@swast.nhs.uk
I wish you all the best with you training.
The Education Team