New kid on the block: starting as an NQP

These past 4 months have been a whirlwind. Within a month of finishing my paramedic programme, I received my registration, graduated from Edge Hill University, and started my adventure as a newly qualified paramedic back home in the south. But it never truly felt real until the morning we were handed our epaulets during the first induction week.

It was a surreal moment and, although no words were exchanged, we all as NQPs somehow knew exactly what the other was thinking. After the initial buzz of excitement, I suddenly felt the weight on my shoulders—no pun intended—as it finally sunk in that I was no longer a student. There was no one to hide behind if I made a mistake, no one to step in when I had no idea what to do, no one I could look back over my shoulder at to give me that nod of reassurance…I was on my own. The nervous laughter soon began and we all swiftly put the epaulets away, out of sight and out of mind—at least for the time being.