"I enjoy the challenge of handling different emergencies every day and helping others when they need it most, whilst also evaluating prehospital research that will benefit patients."

My first job after school was urgent call taker in the control centre at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. I handled calls from district nurses, hospital staff, residential and nursing homes, and GPs, and decided on the best type of ambulance response for their patients.

That experience started me thinking about a career as a paramedic and, when I finished my sports studies degree, I got a place on the two-year paramedic science foundation degree programme at Coventry University. During the course, I worked part-time as a first aider at the student union during evening events which gave me fantastic experience of assessing people’s injuries and deciding on the most appropriate ongoing care for them.

I graduated as a paramedic in summer 2013 and started working at West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust as a frontline paramedic.

I decided to relocate back to Yorkshire in 2016 and secured a position at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, where I worked as a frontline ambulance paramedic.

I have always had an interest in prehospital research, so just before the pandemic, I secured a role as a research paramedic in the Research and Development team at the trust. The role also means I can still work bank shifts as a frontline paramedic which I continue to be very passionate about.

On the frontline, I am an autonomous practitioner at the scene of an emergency. I undertake a detailed assessment of the patient and carrying out life-saving treatment where necessary.

We have a wide range of drugs and equipment to ensure patients receive high-quality care at the scene, and refer them for the most appropriate ongoing care, whether that’s to hospital, their GP, minor injuries unit, mental health or social services, or a question of showing the patient how to manage their own care after the incident.

As I worked as a paramedic before progressing into a research career, I use this knowledge to design research studies that paramedics are interested in. It has also supported my research role by allowing me to design and deliver training material for paramedics in a way that does not affect their clinical role and responsibilities.

As well as designing and delivering training materials, I upload patient data to databases, audit trial drugs and write study reports.  I have also been lucky to be able to present research findings at conferences and seminars.

There’s lots of room for career progression in a frontline paramedic role, for example becoming an advanced paramedic, specialist paramedic or emergency care practitioner whilst also being able to specialise in areas such as mental health or critical care.

Most of all, I love the feeling that I’ve helped others in their moment of need, whether it’s a patient having a heart attack or an elderly patient who’s fallen over and just needs a helping hand to stand up.

I enjoy the challenge of handling different emergencies every day and helping others when they need it most, whether that is on the frontline or my involvement in prehospital care research. 

It feels great to be named on research studies that I have helped to deliver, and be published in high-impact journals. Research is carried out with the aim of benefiting patients and if I can play a small part in improving prehospital care, then I have done my job.