DCG Success Stories

Enrolling on a Derby College Group uniformed services course gave ambulance care assistant Anastasija Seglina chance to look at a full range of public services careers.

Anastasija, 18, now works for a private ambulance provider but originally chose the Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Uniformed Protective Services because she wanted to join the army.

She is currently training to become an urgent care assistant, like her mother, Marija who works with her and who also studied at Broomfield Hall.

Anastasija, an army cadet, said: “I hadn’t considered the ambulance service but doing the level 3 showed me what other careers were out there.

“My mum, an urgent care assistant, did the Foundation Degree Criminal Justice (Security and Offender Management) course as a mature student and went on to gain her MSc.

“She used to let me read her assignments before she submitted them, building my interest in the public services alongside army cadets.

“It’s good partnering with her at work as we each know how the other is going to react in any given situation.

“I liked college, especially the practical exercises. We got to map out and plan for a METHANE – a practice exercise based on a major incident. I really enjoyed doing that.”

METHANE is the acronym used by the emergency services when sharing information with other response teams during a major incident.

M is for Major incident declared, E is for Exact location, T is for Type of incident and H is for Hazards present or suspected.

Since completing her course Anastasija has worked for Loughborough-based HMAS Hardcore Medical & Ambulance Services Ltd, a family run, private ambulance provider that is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

HMAS provides medical cover at events and festivals as well as back up support to frontline NHS staff and patient transport.