Writing this column for nearly the past 3 years has allowed me to work on my personal reflection on my time as a student. I now find myself at the end of my tenure as a columnist with the Journal of Paramedic Practice and I figured it would make sense to use my final article as a newly qualified paramedic (NQP) to reflect upon my experience of qualifying.
When I first began studying at Oxford Brookes University, I did not realise that the history-taking and assessment of patients would be one of the easier aspects of becoming a paramedic. I had never heard of an alternative care pathway and did not know about the wide variety of reasons for ambulance call outs. Now that I have become an NQP, I have to consider the physical, psychological and social needs of every patient as part of a decision-making process in order to provide them with the best care. The ambulance service provides a holistic approach to all patients and can also arrange much more complex healthcare than I think a lot of people realise. Paramedics have progressed exceptionally far over the past decade or so, and I am sure that the profession will continue to do so in the near future.
The Temporary NQP role was created at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow student paramedics, who were signed off as competent but did not yet have full Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration, to work independently. It was a brand new role that initially seemed daunting. However, I now feel it was highly successful in allowing those of us who had almost completed our training to contribute to the ambulance service in these challenging times. A few weeks ago, I was put through my emergency driving course and so I am now working as a fully qualified NQP—a job I have been working towards for a long time! I will admit, this was not the way I expected to enter the world of work—but the pandemic has affected everyone in different ways, and I am grateful to be in a secure job role when many others have not been so fortunate.
I can now assess and manage patients whether from their first seconds or their final hours of life, and everything in between. Despite no longer being a student, I still strive to learn something new on every shift and I use these learning events to reflect upon and complete additional continuing professional development (CPD) to add to my portfolio. I have the responsibility of keeping up to date on the latest ever-changing guidelines as more research is completed in the prehospital environment.
As I settle into my new role, I will look forward to being able to mentor student paramedics—something I will be able to do after completing 12 months as an NQP. As I look ahead to the future, I will use my past experiences as a student to help me shape the way I want to be as a mentor to the students who will themselves become the future of our profession.