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.
Any paramedic science course is academically demanding, but with the support of my friends and family, I have found ways of managing it. During my 2nd year, I was daunted by feelings of drowning in the constant work and revision due to a lack of organisation. I felt that if I took even an hour off for myself that my final grade would suffer. Determined not to feel like this again, I joined the climbing society. Twice a week, I can now concentrate on not falling off the wall rather than anything paramedic-related. The good news is—it works! Not only do I feel a lot better about my work, but I can go back to it with a new perspective and find new things to talk about.
When attending university for lectures, I get to see my friends and cohort to enjoy a catch-up or talk about exciting jobs from placement.
However, when it comes to work, I find that I never want to think about it during my lunch hour or when lectures have finished. This way, I can go to the gym or hang out at the university pub and put off the work waiting at home. This may also include time to go out on dates with my boyfriend, either to the university coffee shop or, if we are lucky enough, a trip to the cinema. Talking to my friends stops the pressure from getting to me, and helps to remind me that university is not all about work.
Finding the time to do other things, such as going home, can be tremendously difficult. My family home is only a 2-hour drive from university—but when you have so much to do, and with placement around the corner, it can feel impossible to slip away for a day or two. I feel I can't do any work there—why would I work when I am going home to see my family? In lieu of this, I try and call my family as much as possible, but it can seem a bit repetitive when all I have been doing is university work. Thankfully, they understand, and this makes the holidays nicer when I can spend a few weeks just relaxing at home and enjoying quality time with them.
It's when placement begins that I know all this work is going to pay off. When I go on a different placement, I can feel my knowledge and clinical decision-making reflected in the work I have completed. Although deadlines are rare when student paramedics are on placement, I recently had one where my breaks were few and far between. I knew it was going to be difficult, so I started the essay early and took time off where I could before placement began. These breaks were aided by my diary, which is now my greatest asset at university, as I can plan what I am doing and when. It has helped me to become more organised since my 2nd year, and I can book limited weekends off in advance and plan my work around taking much-needed time to myself.
Even with all this additional planning to help combat my organisational problems, I can still feel the pressure of needing to complete work before taking breaks. It's just a case of reminding myself that taking a break by climbing or going for a walk will be much more beneficial than sitting at a desk all night and getting nowhere.
I know this course will eventually end (hopefully!), and then I will be planning my free time around a rota with the occasional CPD day to fit in. Although I'm looking forward to that day, I am glad that university life is teaching me to manage my time wisely and not leave everything to the last minute.