This article brings attention to the creation of the UK’s first student paramedic society, giving a summary of the achievements to date for this student-led project. Consideration is given to the benefit of the society for students, why professional development is important, and where this may lead to in the future. Also mentioned is the UK Student Paramedic Conference, to be held on 2 November 2013. An event organised by students, that will discuss ‘The Future of Paramedic Practice’. The article concludes with advice for students around the country on how to establish a successful society and what the society at Hertfordshire is looking to achieve in the near future.
The beginning
The Student Paramedic Society at the University of Hertfordshire was founded by two students in January 2012, with the aim of providing convenient opportunities for students to attend guest lectures, workshops and practical activities that would support their professional development. Our first event was held in March 2012, and was a small workshop looking at the Mental Health Act (2007) and the Mental Capacity Act (2005). The workshop was led by Sue Putman, clinical lead for learning disability and mental health with South Central Ambulance Service, and was attended by 30 students. The feedback was extremely positive, and students left feeling much more confident about appropriate use of the two acts in their practice. The feedback encouraged myself and co-founder Adam Kenningham-Brown to go on and arrange future talks.
April 2012 saw over 70 students fill a lecture theatre for our second event. The topic was acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and the ECG, led by consultant paramedic Mark Whitbread. Over two hours Mark delivered an excellent session that gave students from all stages of the programme the knowledge to accurately diagnose common ECG presentations, and manage the ACS patient appropriately. Mark also highlighted the ongoing work of the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to establish care bundles for this specific patient group, and students received an aide memoire to remind them of best practice.
Just a week later we held our final event for the 2011/2012 academic year, covering ‘End of Life Care and Recognition of Life Extinct’. Over three hours, just fewer than 50 students were given an update on the work currently underway to establish a National End of Life Care programme for the ambulance service. The event was delivered by David Whitmore (senior clinical advisor, LAS) and Georgina Jones (End of Life Care project coordinator, LAS). Common ‘End of Life Care’ emergencies were covered, as well as paramedic use of rescue medication and how to determine validity of a DNA-CPR document. Such an interesting topic generated questions and discussion throughout, and we ran over by an hour (this would have been longer if we had let David continue).
The benefits to students
Demonstrating evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) is important for all registered paramedics, but we asked ourselves: ‘why not start early?’ The benefit of attending guest lectures and workshops, practical courses and clinical skills sessions is recognised by all those who want to remain up-to-date, and ensure they have the knowledge and experience to provide the best possible outcome for their patients. Every student that attends one of our events is provided with a certificate of attendance, which along with a short reflection of what the event delivered and how it will impact upon their practice, allows the student to begin to develop a CPD portfolio.
Many students are beginning to appreciate that although pre-registration training builds the foundations for professional practice, it is on-going development, be that attendance at conferences or certified courses, postgraduate education or short guest lectures, that will allow them to continue to practice at a high level and remain up-to-date once they have left full-time study.
The aim of the society is to provide convenient opportunities to support professional development. For students finishing their degree programme and finding employment, or those going out into practice placement, we feel that our events go some way to easing that transition from education to practice. The guest lectures and workshops equip students with the most up-to-date knowledge and practices within pre-hospital care, that can be disseminated among their colleagues in practice to support not only professional development, but personal development of all ambulance staff.
‘The aim of the society is to provide convenient opportunities to support professional development’
It is never too early to start developing personally and professionally, and many of the responsibilities of being a committee member featured on the person specification for recently advertised consultant paramedic posts. This includes organisational leadership, conceiving and implementing new projects, being committed to the development of new ideas, supervision of training, and taking part in research. It is certainly something to bear in mind for those already thinking ahead, and considering how they will make a difference to paramedic practice in the future.
More recently
Since our inaugural events, the society has grown tremendously. In 2013 we became the largest society at the University of Hertfordshire with over 100 members, and a full committee has been established to ensure that the society continues to thrive. The 2013 academic year began with a talk from Tracy Nicholls (clinical general manager, East of England Ambulance Service) on ‘Out of Hospital Pain Management’ and the work being undertaken by her service. This was followed in November by a very informative session on ‘Severe Burns Life Support’ from Patrick Bourke (clinical educator, Water-jel Technologies). The course manual was provided by the society for all those who attended, and Patrick’s passion for this subject meant the delivery of an excellent lecture.
December 2012 saw Mark Whitbread return, this time looking at ‘Fits, Faints and Funny Turns’, paying particular attention to the ECG changes found in these patients. Following this talk, students were invited to attend an ‘Evening of Arrhythmias’ hosted by the LAS. The society was able to take a full minibus of 16 students down into central London, with around 10 others meeting us there. This event featured three lectures from consultant cardiologists focusing on the patient groups eligible for new arrhythmia centres, an alternative care pathway activated in January 2013.
In February another milestone was achieved with the publication of our first newsletter. As well as messages from the chair and the editors, this first issue included an interesting electrocardiogram case study, book review, a review of the arrhythmia evening and an abstract of a piece of interesting research. Students create and review the content, giving a local opportunity to publish for the benefit of others. We would like students to go on and write for publication in peer-reviewed journals and would fully support this activity.
National conference project
Support from students, the University and the Student Union has been overwhelming. Since November 2012 the committee has been working tirelessly in the background to make our next big project a reality. On 2 November 2013, the society will host the first UK Student Paramedic Conference at the Fielder Centre, Hertfordshire. The theme for this inaugural event is ‘The Future of Paramedic Practice’, with speakers covering the future direction of resuscitation and airway management, use of ultrasound by paramedics, development of the profession and much more.
Trade stands showcasing the latest equipment in pre-hospital care will feature on the day, with breakaway sessions allowing delegates to use some of this equipment, including practical demonstrations in use of ultrasound. The target audience is student paramedics, from any programme across the UK, but while being organised by students, the talks will also be relevant to many registered professionals and others working in the pre-hospital environment. Delegate rates will start at £35 for students and £45 for non-students, with College of Paramedics members attracting a 10% discount. Registration will open on the 1 June 2013. The delegate rate includes access to all talks, trade stands and practical sessions, as well as individual delegate bags, lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
How to start your own society
If you are considering setting up a paramedic society at your university, do not go about it alone. The first thing to do is to find some like-minded people to collaborate with. Once you have a couple of others that are interested, go along to your student union and find out how to start a new society. From experience, this will involve getting a list of around 15 people who would be interested in joining your society once established, and completing some paperwork outlining your aims and objectives.
‘Your members will want to see a benefit of joining, which may simply be certificates of attendance for events’
The group should be clear about what you want your society to achieve, and be realistic of what you can achieve in your first year. Promote the society during lectures and via social media; it is important to make sure people know it exists. Being something new, don’t expect every single student to show to the first talk. A dedicated few will test the water and as you build a good reputation and arrange successful events the numbers will certainly increase. Initially use local speakers, perhaps even people you know to get things off the ground; you may find that they can then recommend your society to others too, and you will begin to build a list of people to invite.
Your members will want to see a benefit of joining, which may simply be certificates of attendance for events. For events over two hours, consider providing refreshments in the break. Handouts go down quite well too. If your student union has access to a minibus, look at getting members to CPD events in the area or at neighbouring universities.
You should also seek support or affiliation with your local College of Paramedics Regional Group. As your society grows, consider holding events in collaboration with the College. This may also provide another means of finding speakers for events on campus.
At Hertfordshire, members pay just £5 per year and this includes free entry to all events held on campus, use of student union minibuses to attend external events, and the provision of refreshments for ½ day workshops. The fees also provide a means to cover expenses for speakers that have a long way to travel. In our experience, speakers have willingly given up their time to support the society, and many do not ask for expenses. But charging a membership fee provides a budget to use when required, and your union may require it. Consider opening the first few events to everyone, members and non-members. As the reputation grows, events should become members only, and charge an entry fee for non-members. Soon enough, having to pay each time to attend will encourage all those non-members to join up and receive the same benefits as everyone else.
The future
As another academic year comes to an end, we will be looking to appoint a new committee and new leadership to develop the society further and continue to achieve our aims. In the near future we will establish a closer relationship with the College of Paramedics Regional Groups in London and the East of England, with a view to hosting joint events and reaching a wider audience. Interest in the society model has been generated from students on other higher-education programmes, and it is hoped that we will see the creation of more societies like ours around the country. If the November conference is a success, collaboration between other universities and paramedic programmes should secure its future as an annual event to be held in the UK for many years to come.