NQP > Paramedic

I’ve just looked at my drafts, and I tried to begin to summarise my first year as a Newly Qualified and then when my two years as an NQP finished. It looks like I never found the words. So here I am, 2 and a half years after registering as a paramedic, trying to find the words.

I registered in October 2017, and worked until the start of January 2020. I decided to be proactive during my first two years as an NQP, and apply to take a career break once I fit the criteria. I strongly recommend doing this. Most of us, would agree that the first two years of the job are the most stressful of your career. And it shouldn’t be shameful to admit this. It’s even more stressful if you move ambulance services and nothing is familiar aside the clientele. You’ve got driving an ambulance on blue lights, figuring out how to use the radio, 5 different codes to remember, 4 different books to fill in regarding drugs, multiple forms to fill in, new local guidelines, drugs you’ve never seen before, local pathways and hospital politics that you get sucked up in and are a deer in headlights. And that’s just the beginning. Then there’s the list of firsts, the first cardiac arrest, the first RTC, the first death that you confirm, the first anaphylaxis or life threatening asthma, the first police statement, the first time someone swears at you, the first time you have to stick up for yourself. Once again, the list goes on. I’m sure you get my point, it’s stressful. On the flip side, it’s a crazy achievement. I applied at 17, registered having just turned 21. I’ve got a fantastic crew mate and a great support network. 9 months in, someone told me I was like a piece of the furniture on a shift that was being assessed. Embarrassingly, I fell over into a big sea filled puddle in front of the person assessing me, HEMS (heli heroes), coast guard, RNLI, and lots of the public that day. I was so soaked that they said I might as well wade into the boat to go with the patient to land. So now, 2 and a half years in, there’s new faces that I don’t recognise nearly every day and work is mostly very familiar. But, in this job, every day is a learning day, and I’m pretty sure I don’t know the answer to a question I’m asked, probably at least once a shift. One thing that I am pleased that I have learnt over the past could of years is to admit when you don’t know. It’s really hard, and I definitely still struggle to admit I’m wrong or don’t know on occasion but I’m a lot better at it now then when I graduated. It’s okay to not know the answer, and it’s okay to admit when you’re wrong.

ANYWAY,  I’ve gone way off course. So, a three month break travelling parts of Asia, New Zealand and Fiji, did a world of good. Not thinking about work, following a schedule based upon where you’re going to stay, where to eat and what to see. It was amazing and we ate very well. The profession is diverse, sometimes fun, sometimes stressful, but I’m not sure that you can realise how much it changes you until you have a break from it. Another colleague who joined at the same time as me also cut down to one frontline shift a week and her and her partner noticed how she changed, for the better when she did this. So, take time away from the job, make sure you stay grounded to life outside of the ambulance service, see your friends and the world when the government permits it… My fantastic trip was cut short but that’s for another post…

The Profession

I’ve been doing some late night reading, and had a thought.

What an amazing profession we work in. I definitely do rant about the negatives, everyone needs an outlet. BUT, what other job intersects so many different aspects of healthcare? Primary care, urgent care, social care, public health, public safety….

We have a huge responsibility – we need to maintain the public’s trust in the profession, in calling 999 in an emergency (and please, folks, only in an emergency). We do this through providing care at their home, organising care by other healthcare professionals, or ensuring that they get to ED safely.

Nearly every shift I call someone’s GP and discuss their care. Every shift, bar the very odd one or two, I take patients to ED. Some days I get to work with the other emergency services (999 Family – Police and Fire). Most days, a patient thanks me for the work I’ve done to care for them, in whichever means is possible. And, everyday is a school day, we learn something new every shift. Whether it’s the name of a drug we’d never heard of, or a particular condition that a patient has and knows far more about that most HCPs.

We don’t save lives everyday, but we do help people everyday, and that’s what counts 🙂

–YoungParamedic

How many times…

How many times will we see a 90 year old pass away?

Or an 80 year old, a 21 year old, or a 5 year old?

How many times will we have to apologise to friends and family that we’re late to their event?

Or that we can’t make it because our leave has been rejected?

How many times will we see a lady lose her baby?

Or wheel her to a cubicle next to a crying, breathing baby and see the pain on her face?

How many times will we search for a patient that didn’t have the common courtsey to call back and cancel the ambulance?

Or get spat at, sworn at or hit?

How many times will a member of the public leave a note on our ambulance because we’ve not considered their lunch date?

Or been asked, ‘what’s happened’, when the patient’s family has just found their father hanging in their home?

How many times will the drug addict take too much and call on our services?

Or been abused after saving their life, because we took away their all important high?

How many times will we have to apologise to patients because they’ve been left on the floor for 5 hours because there was nothing to send?

Or have to apologise to family because they called back 4 times and their worried sick?

How many times will people ask, what’s the WORST thing you’ve ever seen?

How many times will we want to give up because it’s all too much…

 

Here’s to working in the ambulance service. It’s really, really hard.

Please share, if you agree, if you want people to understand, or if you found this interesting.

–YoungParamedic

 

 

Horror Movie

So, this is one of those silly stories that won’t sound as scary as it was but you’ll just have to believe me.

It’s cold and dark and we are running on blues to an address in the middle of no where with no phone signal, and no lights. And some may say no running water….

We’re going to a child who’s having difficulty breathing. So we finally spot the address and pull into a single, muddy track, and there’s a single light on upstairs in the cottage.

Whilst going up the muddy track, the truck wobbles from side to side because it’s uneven, and then we see some branches that are hanging low. So, being the heroine that I am, I got out of the truck, grabbed the torch and squelched my way around the side of the truck. I helped my crew mate around the branches, a tight corner and then she parked on the grass at the property. There were two cars also parked on the grass. All seemed normal, despite the darkness and the strange fact that the parent who was distressed over their child, hadn’t come to meet the ambulance they had called…

So we both got out, grabbed our kit and torches, and knocked on the door. Then we shouted ‘ambulance’. Then we knocked again. Then we shouted again… Then we got back in the truck and locked the doors.

There’s something impressively creepy about a silent house in the pitch black with a single light on. It was the intro of a horror movie and we were waiting for the shotgun to appear.

So we requested to speak to control and tried turning the truck around. And the truck didn’t move. So then we requested to speak again. And the single light went off in the cottage. Buzz buzz. Control rang us back and said, ‘I’m guessing you’ve just found out the information that I’ve just learned…’. To which we responded, ‘no, but we are stuck on this person’s grass’. We’d been sent to the wrong address.

Erm, so we were stuck on creepy person’s grass, it was dark, and the feeling that someone is going to show up with a shotgun was still looming. Control sent some extra resources to get us out, and to go the actual location to help the child.

My crew mate tried to get us out, backwards and forwards, and then that horrible noise of the wheels spinning. Grim. At this point, I felt like there some small bugs in my stomach, waiting to eat their way out. Somehow, the truck managed to get some grip, and we turned around and started down the track. But there was that horrific corner and the branches left. I was no longer a heroine and I just hung out of the window with the torch to check we didn’t hit anything. There was no chance of me getting out in the dark. Once we got to the end of the track there was a wave of relief and the bugs in my stomach slowly disappeared. We both sipped our bottles of water hoping they contained something stronger.

We survived our ordeal, and we didn’t feature in a real life horror movie, but it was damn close. No more of that please.

Oh, and we got to the child first, and they were okay, we got him to hospital and checked on him later. He was very cute.

–YoungParamedic

Qualified

So that’s me, qualified.

Bit bizarre. Bit scary. Quite scary.

I’ve started my new job, in a new area and am desperately trying to find my feet. It’s such a tough transition between being a confident final year student to being a qualified newbie on the block.  Everyone is in the same boat though, and luckily there’s a lot of NQPs (Newly Qualified Paramedics) about at the moment. There’s so much to get used to, new trucks, new bags, new people, the list goes on.

NQPs are the new way of keeping the expense of paramedics on the road… Paramedics have recently gone up to Band 6 of NHS pay, but for the first two years of qualifying, paramedics are labelled ‘NQPs’ and get paid Band 5. The two years also includes a portolfio, and reviews.

I’ve already, sadly, seen two deaths. Something which I really fear now, after reacting badly to the death of a young patient that we tried so hard to keep alive.

I’ll continue to write about things that I think people would like to read. But I’ll leave you with this.

The last job of one of my evenings, was a patient who was drunk and was upset. In the process, they’d upset an old friend and was being inappropriate in front of her family. They then ran out of the building, and tried to scale a bridge over a dual carriageway. Due to having a duty of care over this patient, we tried to stop them. And they in turn hit both myself and my crew mate. Eventually they listened to me and came and sat in the truck, soaking wet having refused to put their shoes on. They then continued to be verbally abusive to male colleagues and resulted in the police accompanying us to hospital. I will never understand why people think that the ambulance service are a threat to them. We aren’t employed to harm. But that was the first time a patient has hit me. They then proceeded to vomit all over her cubicle wall. Cheery end to my evening.

Edge of Qualifying

I’ve been meaning to write for such a long time now.

I’m in my third and final year of my degree, in fact, the last few months if all goes well. I’m not sure where to start.

The past two years have been stressful, shocking, heartbreaking, terrifying and amazing. Academically, there have definitely been some challenges- two OSCEs in a week, advanced life support OSCEs, 8000 word dissertation, and so on. But the real, practical side of the course is something else. Although I always said that you don’t know what to expect in this job, I kind of always thought that I’d deal with things okay.

Second year didn’t start so well, with my wrist injury causing me to have to do the ‘return to work process’, which resulted in me being weeks behind in my hours. But I had a great mentor and we got on really well. She was some what of a boring job magnet though. Not to call patients boring, but clinically wise, a mechical fall with no injuries compared to a complex seizure etc.

As for third year, here I am. Made it. I’m here. Quite a few more obstacles such as dissertation results, exam results, and portfolio results to go, but I’ve secured a couple of jobs on the basis that I will pass. Fingers crossed. This year has hit me he hardest. Not academically. But the things I’ve seen. I can very honestly say, that I’ve seen things that people shouldn’t see. You shouldn’t have to see someone 6 months older than you, dying in a very public place in front of their family. No one should have nightmares and cry in the middle of the day because of what they’ve seen. Nor should it affect your friendships, or relationship. Time does help with these things, but so does talking it through with various people. I can’t emphasise how important it is to get help if you can’t cope. The station I’m at currently is pretty open, we talk about the good and the bad, and of course the gossip.

This brings me onto mental health. The lack of support, the lack of understanding, and her lack of care towards this bewildered suffer from mental health problems. There are no easy pathways for those who need it. Often, those in crisis call the ambalance service, who can offer just as much as they can do for themselves, call their crisis team or their GP. Mental health has such a stigma, that it’s negative and embarrassing. It shouldn’t be. I met a patient who I met when I was part of a crew who took her husband to hospital. She was suffering from mental health problems, and it was gutting to seen she was still struggling two years later. I find it such an interesting topic, and one I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand, but I want to help, and I want to know more. Perhaps it’s something I’ll explore more in the future. As for mental health in the ambulance service itself, there needs to be far more help, and not simply ‘everyone okay?’ after several crews have just seen someone die.

Don’t get me wrong, this job is amazing, and you meet some great people, and you do sometimes feel like you make a difference. Even if it is just making someone a cup of tea or putting someone back into bed after they’ve gracefully slid out of it.

Here’s to the next few months, of hard work, sleepless nights, blisters and laughs.

–YoungParamedic

First Year and an Eventful Holiday

The first year of being a student paramedic has absolutely flown by.

I have seen some amazing things, met some amazing people and felt the emotions and stress that comes with being part of an ambulance service. When a hospital is stacking over 10 patients because there’s no beds available or you’re comforting a husband who’s wife has just passed away in their living room. But don’t get me wrong, the being a student paramedic is wonderful and so many people are grateful for the service that we provide.

My patient assessment skills have grown and I’m a lot more confident with my paperwork than the first couple of months. However going back after a month of holiday may change this… I’m sure it’ll all come flooding back.

Fast response cars are FAST. Ambulance rides are bumpy and sometimes it makes you feel a little queasy when you’re writing whilst sitting backwards. Blue lights are very cool and the general public moving out of the way whilst you’re on a call to an emergency are great.

The wrist problem is still on going and I spent the first 16 week placement of my course not doing much manual handling. This is key skill and I’m gutted that I haven’t been able to do it. My tutors have been incredibly supportive, as well as my mentor, so for that I’m incredibly thankful.

Whilst on my holiday a lady asked for some help at the side of a costal path in Cornwall, of course my friends and I offered. Needless to say, I wasn’t expecting her husband to have some very obvious stroke symptoms. Student paramedic mode switched on – I asked  my student physio friend to help. Patient assessment complete and having sent my other friends to wait for an ambulance there was little else we could do with no kit except keep him warm and comfortable. A first responder, off duty paramedic arrived and hypoglycaemia was not the cause of the symptoms. We waited for 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, only to be told the nearest hospital is an hour away. Those words were painful to hear, a patient being treated for stroke should not have to travel so far for treatment. Oddly enough, whilst waiting for the ambulance and the first responder, I discovered the patient is from where I attend uni! What a small world. I’m hoping for a letter from the patient or his wife to find out what happened to him. Quite an impressive coincidence that a student paramedic and student physio are walking past, let alone someone from your town.

I also passed my C1 driving last week which was a requirement for the end of first year at my uni. I am so relieved that I’ve done this is time. Fitting your C1 in whilst studying in your first year is a challenge. I’d advise anyone applying to try and get it before hand because it’s unnecessary hassle whilst you’re at uni.

So that’s a quick, whistle stop tour of my past year as a s’para. I managed 499.75 hours and completed a few runs of nights. They’re not very pleasant. And I did nights whilst it was really, really hot here.

OH, and have a peak at the UK Student Paramedic Conference 2015. It’s a great opportunity that you shouldn’t miss. Hear all about the 2015 Resus guidelines, midwifery, surgical airways and MUCH more. Meet sponsors and services and plenty of other student paramedics from across the UK. You know you want to. College of Paramedic discounts and student discounts also.

I’m done. Too much staring at a screen.

–YoungParamedic

First Hurdle

So I’ve hit my first minor (I hope) speed bump whilst on my Paramedic Practice course. I had to postpone an exam due to a wrist injury. Not only will I have to do this exam further down the line, but the university may alter what I am allowed to do on placement. The day I decided to take apply for Extenuating Circumstances was a Moving and Handling day which then meant I couldn’t lift or practice using the carry chair which a piece of equipment that the ambulance service uses regularly. I was absolutely gutted when I found out. I hear the university is really good with dealing with such things however I can’t help but think of the consquences of me missing even a week of placement. Potentially this will have a knock-on effect and I will have to make up my hours in what would’ve been my summer. Compared to most university courses who get 3 months, we only get around a month and a half.

I’m hoping my wrist is a simple fix, and normally it is so fingers crossed I’ll be able to lift patients and do what a normal first year student paramedic should be doing. I’m not one to miss home, but this news really made me want to escape back to the countryside and  temporarily forget about the situation.

On another note, I’ve heard good things about my mentor and will be meeting them next week I think.

I won’t be able to write posts about patients and specific cases during my placement as it would be a breach of privacy and confidentiality. I’ll enquire about what I can write.

–YoungParamedic

Bring On Placement

I’m on my Easter holidays at the moment. The past week has been crammed full of Pharmacology, Essentials of Professional Paramedic Practice essay, a critical appraisal poster, OSCE prep and seeing as many of my friends from home as I can. My next semester runs on a lot longer than most other courses, continuing until August. This is because we go on placement solidly until then. We haven’t been on placement so far, unlike some universities where their students have one shift per week starting November. I’ll be honest, it’s pretty daunting. I know that I can give basic life support (CPR), insert OPs and NPs, and I know from previous experiences that I can talk to people I haven’t met before…. So I’ll be okay, right?! On the other hand, I am extremely excited to finally be out on the road. We’ve been allocated our mentors and our stations.

I feel like I’m leaving my home friends for a long time, it’s not as if I’m off travelling the world, but I’ve said goodbye just in case I next see them in August. We will do 30 hours a week on average, which works out as 2×12 hour shifts one week and 3×12 hour shifts another. Feedback from the second years is that you spend majority of your free time sleeping whilst on placement. I’m kind of gutted about this as I’ve been going to the gym and climbing at least a few times a week, and I really don’t want to have to stop. But I guess there’s sacrifices to be made!

To get to our ambulance stations, we’re all bringing our cars up from. So I’ve got a 98 mile drive along the country. Once home, I’m going to be using anyone available to take their blood pressures as practice for the OSCE that we have coming up. The OSCE consists of introducing yourself, and assessing the patient’s complaint, taking their obs and treating them, and then deciding on their care plan. All of that in 10 minutes. It’s a 40% pass mark, but I wouldn’t be happy with that. Speaking of pass marks, we’ve got a pharmacology exam with a 100% pass mark! Brutal.

On a complete side note, I’m not happy with the BBC yet again calling those who work in ambulances ‘ambulance drivers’. That is not the case anymore, those on the trucks are qualified professionals and it’s rather insulting. BBC, keep up.

–YoungParamedic

An Update, First University Results and Day Centre Visit

I’ve just got back from having a wonderful time at a local day centre for the elderly. A whole group of 1st years and a couple of 3rd years attended. The day consisted of sitting and either playing games or just chatting to the customers. Everyone there had their own stories to tell. The day gave us all a bit of reassurance for placement, as majority of our patients will be eldery. I played Tri-ominoes and was beaten many, many times by the lady that I was sat with. Many of the elderly there are still independent at some grand ages. It was a very rewarding day.

We recieved our results on Friday, we log on to a website and our results are there. I passed all of my exams – two firsts in my physical health sciences and my practical [OSCE] (80% and 96%) and got a 2.1 in the essay. These have averaged out at around 80% over the modules that I’ve done so far so hopefully I’m on track for a first at the end of the year. Although we’ve got two more essay type assessments and I don’t feel like these are my strong points.

Uni has been really good recently, and particularly paramedic specific. We’ve used suction machines, ECG LifePaks, practised bandaging and putting on slings, put each other on spinal boards and so on. I feel like I’m finally learning really useful skills towards placement. On that note, placement really isn’t very far away which is a little nerve wracking – I may be learning lots each week but I still don’t know much! But we’re told you learn the most on placement. We’ve been allocated our stations now too, still waiting to be allocated our mentors though.

I need to go and revise the drugs that us 1st years can give on placement, along with their contra-indications, cautions, side effects and doses!

-YoungParamedic