A daily juggling act…

It's no secret that any university course has its stressful demands—but factor in regular ambulance placements and finding time for yourself, and that stress can become daunting. As a 3rd year paramedic student, the pressure seems to be ongoing. Expectations from paramedic mentors and lecturers are higher than ever, and there is always something to think about—this also means the workload is greater. In between writing presentations, essays, and a literature review for that not-too-distant research proposal, it feels like my last day off was during my summer holiday over 3 months ago.

When I first started as a student paramedic, the lecturers made it clear that we were expected to put in extra hours of self-study to fully understand the subject. All of this on top of assigned reading and attending lectures. If I'm not careful, my free time can soon become non-existent.

I knew the workload for the course was not going to be easy. I had already completed an ‘access to higher education’ course prior to coming to university and knew what to expect from a coffee-induced all-nighter. Yet I made a promise to myself to stay on top of it all and meet those deadlines early, because I wanted to enjoy my time instead of always feeling like a stressed out zombie—I am still trying to keep that promise.