Role of the Paramedic
I'd like to introduce you to my colleague Kirsty Lowry who is a paramedic from
Yorkshire Ambulance Service. I'm going to ask her a few questions about her role as
a paramedic.
Hi Kirsty.
Hi.
Can you tell me why you wanted to become a paramedic?
Yeah, I always knew I wanted to work within the health profession and originally
toyed with the idea of medicine. But then when I was at school, when I was about 15,
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do work experience with what was at
the time West Yorkshire Ambulance Service. And that was me, sold really. The idea
of working in a diverse environment, meeting people from all walks of life, never
really knowing what the next job was going to be and just the huge amount of
satisfaction that the paramedics seem to get from their role was really the huge
selling point.
So you've told us a little bit about what you like about the role now that you
actually are a paramedic, is there anything else that you'd like to add?
It's the best job in the world for anybody that's inclined to want to help people and
work within the health professions, that doesn't want to work within a fixed
environment with the mundane day to day activities. Then being a paramedic has got
to be the job of choice, that's my feeling. As I said before the diverse environment,
never knowing what you're next going to, that flying by the seat of your pants thing,
it's an all rounder job. It keeps you interested, you get satisfaction, you get to drive
around the countryside, you get to meet people, see people, from all walks of life.
You learn loads from all of the people that you come across and you get to help
them as well so it doesn't get better.
So can you give us an example of a good day being a paramedic?
A good day is always when you get a birth. Helping a lady in labour, actually through
to giving birth to a baby and having a happy outcome - for me is one of the best jobs
you can get in a day. Although on the flip side of that, having a good input and a
positive outcome of what would be a bad experience for somebody I also find is
really satisfying for me and hopefully is positive for the person that you're helping as
well. Sometimes it can be a sad job, it might be the loss of a loved one but if you can
deal with that in a dignified way, help somebody in terms of the onward process of
bereavement counselling, coming to terms and practicalities around having to deal
with the death of a loved one then that can also be really positive.
These new students that you may see while you are out in your role as a
paramedic and a paramedic tutor, as Kirsty is a tutor as well with Yorkshire
Ambulance Service, what are you expecting of these students when they are
out in placement?
I think, just because the individuals are students, doesn't give them carp blanch to
behave in a less professional way than any other clinician within the service whether
they are a paramedic, technician or assistant practitioner. At the very least you would
expect them to be appropriately dressed, appropriately presented, you’d expect them
to act professionally at all times, communicate appropriately, using appropriate
language. You'd expect some degree of knowledge around the basic equipment
within the ambulance, the ability to speak on the radio, those sorts of things when
required. Obviously not at the very beginning, they'll be supported through learning
those procedures and use of equipment etc. but you would expect them to muck in
really, to become part of the crew, to understand when it's not appropriate for them
to be getting too involved and to understand when you do need assistance and they
really should be getting involved. I think the big thing really is that they need to
understand that unfortunately for them, right from day one, they need to act as
professionally as everybody else.
What we can't do is make allowances, we're dealing with real people, in real
situations, that are having real experiences. So right from the very beginning, they
need to appreciate that and act appropriately because their actions and words, even
flippant comments, can last a lifetime with an individual that picks up on that in a
traumatic situation. So it's a huge burden for them initially but something that they
need to grasp very quickly.
Okay thank you for that Kirsty, and hopefully you found that useful of understanding
the role of the paramedic.