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I've had so many requests over the past few months about sharing more about the other side of my life, the non country side which is my full time job as a Paramedic.
Its a tricky topic to be able to write about as obviously with any healthcare related job sharing information which could potentially identify someone is an absolute no go, so I thought I'd just share my experience 6 months post registration and answer your questions from instagram along the way.
Sat here now I can't believe it has actually been 6 month since I was let loose in an ambulance! It seems to have flown by since I was handed my controlled drug keys, found out which ambulance is ours for the day and successfully completed my first shift as lead clinician! My crew mates first question being are you even old enough to drive, wasn't the last of the day and I still get age questions now, yes I'm 22, yes I look 12 , yes I can drive and no I am not on work experience 😂 the 'perks' of being and looking young, I guess!
Teams on the ambulance normally have two different healthcare roles one being a paramedic and the other being either a technician or clinical care assistance (this varies between trusts and staff availability). The paramedic is lead so ultimately has the most clinical skills and if things go wrong it's the paramedic in charge, they are accountable for themselves and crew mate and obviously the patient.
The care assistants role is to assist with tasks, drive to hospital and are very good at providing sweets, directions and amazing stories as well as the best tips to help out, their roles and experience are invaluable! As I said it's a team, we work together and we both have each others back and provide lots of coffee!
I've had a variety of jobs since been qualified and all require different approaches, drugs and clinical needs unfortunately I can't go into details as I don't want to share anything I shouldn't but I would like to say it's not all like you see on TV put it that way, in fact you couldn't even imagine what some of the jobs entail! You go home feeling like you have seen the worst, and are still surprised the week after when the worst was definitely not anywhere close to the worst! It's always worth it though, and we always come back and do it again!
So here are a few questions I picked out to answer:
How do you cope if a patient dies or is dying?
I think every death is different, and therefore every death is I guess coped with differently but you just have to remember you did your very best for that patient and unfortunately death is a part of living, and is inevitable in some cases but it doesn't nescarily make it easier.
You have to be professional but human, I find the saddest part is always afterwards once all the physical, adrenaline fuelled side of things is done. You now take on a solely supporting role for the friends/family. This is the part you don't get trained in, it's different everytime and famlies emotions are always understandbly varied but you are the one to support them whether that's through explaining next steps, just being a shoulder to cry on or allowing that time alone with their loved one.
Whats your worst job so far?
This question is often asked and everyone always wants some gory, blood spilling trauma job but personally I think the worst/hardest jobs are your elderly patients that don't have the right support network or care in place or possibly the elderly patient who you know deep down despite your best efforts to try and keep them at home where they want to be, has to go into hospital and you know deep down they won't be coming back out.
You can't save everyone as the saying goes and it's true, you can't and if it got to you (too much) not doing so then you couldn't be in the job however you can make the patients and families experience and care the very best you can offer and that's why I love my job. I don't do it for the gore and horror stories!
Whats the best part?
I can't really pin point the best part as its very diverse, theres lots of different parts I love but it's such an honour to be part of patients and their families lives, you get so many stories, find out so many interesting things, you have grown men breaking down on you because for the first time since their wife died they've opened up about it randomly in the back of our big yellow bus! Its surreal sometimes, very hard to explain in fact.
Being in this green uniform isn't all about the blue lights, blood and craziness it's sometimes as simple as holding someone's hand as there scared of what's to come, making a completely rubbish glove balloon to keep the child happy while you do your best to get a simple breathing rate without them screaming and of course it's just about being there when people need us. Theres the negative bits obviously like abuse, fake calls and lack of social life but theres always the next patient.
Why did you choose to be a Paramedic?
I should of probably started with this one and I guess the above kind of sums up why but honestly I always wanted to be a vet! Somehow after 2 years of equine college and being a groom, a year in forensic mental health as a care assistant and two years at uni studying paramedic science here we are! I loved working with horses but I decided I wanted to keep them as a hobby, as for being a vet , studying so long at uni financially just wasn't going to work and I don't know if id be smart enough either plus I get sad when dogs die on TV!
I worked in mental health to gain people experience, being forensic services it definitely opened my eyes to the real world. Being a 19 year old on a all male ward was always going to be a challenge but I loved it so much, not a job I would want to stick in but one I will never forgot!
As for going into the ambulance service I love being out and about, my work experience in the mounted police tempted me toward the emergency services and I always had a medical interest and enjoy helping people so I guess working on the ambulance just brought my passions together!
Whats an average day on the ambulance?
There isn't really an average day as we get a huge variety of calls from heart attacks, falls, RTC'S, social calls, mental health, septic chest infections to common colds, fractured femurs to stubbed toes, maternity calls to end of life calls, anaphylaxis, asthma, kidney stones and everything in-between! Some require much more time than others, some are sorted with an hour or so of chat, others referred to more specialist services with others requiring immediate help with lots of clinical skills involved.
You never really know what the shift will have in store for you. We get little information on the way to jobs for example we may have patients age, gender, name and a quick complaint such as abdominal pain, vomiting. Sometimes more in depth others we may not know whats wrong or even what age or gender they are. The variety is what makes the job even better for me, I think I like the excitement of not knowing!
I think this blogs gone on a little too long now but if you do want any questions answered just message me them privately and ill be happy to try and help as much as a I can.
Speak soon,
Meg xx