I saw life and death on my first day in the job

A student paramedic attended a home birth and a death within the first 24 hours of his ambulance work placement.

Ben Malone’s ambition to become a paramedic began in his childhood when he witnessed an ambulance crew attend to his grandmother when she was having a stroke.

In recent weeks the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has been under pressure amid an ongoing crisis in the health service.

At Northern Ireland's only paramedic course, students like Ben are being trained to deal with the intense pressures of the job.

Trainee paramedics use a simulated ambulance vehicle within the classroom located at Ulster University’s Magee campus.

Video journalist: Niall McCracken