Paramedics play a vital role in the provision of emergency care to the community and are involved in life saving work at the scene of incidents and while working on ambulances.  As part of an ongoing recruitment drive, the HSE National Ambulance Service has profiled several individuals within the service.  A number of staff, who joined the ambulance service after coming to Ireland from their native countries, were recently involved in the campaign.

“People in Ireland are very friendly. You very quickly feel part of the team.”

Tomasz Fedorowicz

Born in Poland, Tomasz Fedorowicz has lived in Ireland since 2006. He originally intended staying in Ireland for a year but he decided to settle here.

Tomasz has been working as a Qualified Paramedic for the National Ambulance Service for three years, having previously worked for a private ambulance service.

He has been based in the Dublin South Central Ambulance Base, working mainly in the city.

Tomasz originally qualified in Poland as a Paramedic and was able to start working for an ambulance service on arrival here.

“People in Ireland are very friendly. You very quickly feel part of the team.”

His knowledge of languages helps him to care for patients as he can speak Polish and Russian.

Tomasz and his wife have recently purchased a home in Portlaoise and he is in the process of transferring to work and live there now.

“We are very happy and looking forward to living in the midlands with our two boys aged four and eleven years.”

“It’s a comfort for people when you can speak their language, even if it’s only a few words. It’s a big plus.” 

Nora Bodnar

Nora Bodnar’s husband died in a tragic accident in her home country of Slovakia, leaving her motivated to help others.

She originally thought of nursing as a way of serving others but a stint as a volunteer with St John’s Ambulance prompted Nora to complete an Emergency Medical Technician course.

After working with a private ambulance company, Nora began working with the National Ambulance Service as an Intermediate Care Operative.

She later transferred into the Paramedic Degree Programme and has now completed her first year in the NAS College Tullamore campus and is a Post Graduate Paramedic Intern.

Nora is now looking forward to becoming a Qualified Paramedic in December and then completing her Paramedic Science Degree Programme with University College Cork (UCC).

Living in Kells, Co Meath, Nora is working from the Monaghan Ambulance Station. Her knowledge of languages is a great help to her in her work as she is able to speak Hungarian, Slovakian, Czech and Polish as well as a little Russian and German.

“It’s a comfort for people when you can speak their language, even if it’s only a few words. It’s a big plus.”