Why Paramedicine?

Caitlin Hedley is an aspiring HART (hazardous area response team) paramedic. Caitlin has been a part of  St. John ambulance for over 6 years and in this time has been involved in lots of events and courses which have consequently lead her to want to become a paramedic.

I am 18 and have just completed my A-levels at my local sixth form. I studied health and social care, applied science, and criminology; and I received 3 A’s. I have also been working since I was 15 in various roles such as waitressing, working in retail and working in a pharmacy. These have helped me gain exceptional social skills as well as having given me a sense of responsibility and knowledge of medication. I hope to transfer these skills to my university course and when I’m out on placement.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do from a young age. I knew I loved to help people so I figured I would do a job that did just that. It was only as I got older that I realised there are a lot of jobs that involve helping people including being a doctor, a nurse, or a paramedic. I knew I wanted something hands on and clinical, physically treating all kinds of people and seeing results. I am a very outgoing and adventurous person and I took this into consideration when I was narrowing down my career options. A nurse is in a hospital treating patients in the same environment with all the equipment one could need, with doctors and other specialists there to assist and I wanted more autonomy and variety in my work. Paramedicine appealed to me because you are treating people in all sorts of locations. Whether it be by the side of a road in the pouring rain, in someone's front room, a back alley on a Saturday night; it will always be different. This is what excites me. 

I want to become a paramedic to be the first one at the scene to help the person and to be able to give that immediate care. I especially want to be part of HART as you go to patients who are in more difficult locations to access which would be too dangerous for any other responder. I wish to be able to help patients in dangerous environments as early as possible with my expert knowledge of those situations using the specialist equipment that HART paramedics have access to. Most importantly however, I want to be able to provide all kinds of care. This could mean stopping a patient from bleeding out until they get to hospital or simply just being someone that will listen. I am aware that many call outs are to mental health cases and paramedics are the ones that are there in the first instance to listen to the patient and direct them to the services they need to receive help. I want to help make a difference to someone’s quality of life. 

If you are currently at this crossroads where you know you want a job that is helping people but you are unsure of what job specifically, there are a few things you need to consider. Firstly, do you want to be dressing wounds and providing CPR or do you want to help by talking to people? If you don't want to be too hands on that is completely fine as there are roles you could consider undertaking such as becoming a social worker for example. However, if you do then you have to think about what kind of care you want to provide and in what setting; i.e a hospital, ambulance, care home etc.

Once you have your heart set on a career it is important to  think about what subjects to take at school, whether you chose to go to sixth form or college, and what work experience you do. To become a paramedic you are required to go to university and get a degree. Some universities are slightly different but most universities ask for 5 GCSE's C or above which must include maths, English language and science. You must then meet the UCAS points requirement for your A-levels or alternatively you must have completed a healthcare access course at college. Both options are valid! 

Something which can help you stand out in your application is what work experience you have behind you that is relevant to the course you’re applying to. The more work experience you have the more you can discuss in an interview, which demonstrates to the university that you have made an informed decision to study that particular course. Personally I have been a part of St. John Ambulance for over 6 years where I have done first aid courses and gone out on duty at events such as marathons. All of this gives you an insight into the job and a bit of experience. I have also done work experience in a hospital, care home and nursery. 

I am very excited to be starting university in January. I hope to meet loads of friends and potential colleagues. I hope that to gain all the skills I need to become a successful paramedic by working hard in my lectures as well when I am out on placement.