As a newly qualified paramedic (NQP), I frequently remember my time as a student paramedic. I can remember studying about various laws like Boyle's and Henry's, but I can't quite remember learning about Finagle's Law, sometimes known as Sod's Law, which states that ‘anything that can go wrong will—at the worst possible time.’
Before I started my training as a paramedic, like many of my peers, I would watch television documentaries that discussed the ‘drama and difficulties’ that frontline employees experience on a daily basis. Of course, the reality is different, or at least it was extremely different for me when I was a student on a placement and working as an emergency medical technician during the ‘sandwich’ year of my degree. I was aware that the ambulance service had changed from being the conventional transportation arm of the NHS to the centre of the healthcare system—serving as a bridge between primary, secondary, and community care, with paramedics providing a rapid response.
I was aware that not every detail would be life-threatening and that I should not assume all patients would be seriously ill or injured. Most of the calls I attended involved falls, frailty, mental health illness, and social circumstance. My education had prepared me for this, but my experience covered this type of work almost exclusively. I could not help hoping for that ‘big job’ while I was supported by my practice educator or by more qualified colleagues. After 4 years of university study and hours on placement, I faced my very first shift—a night shift—as an NQP with a less qualified colleague, My very first detail was a traumatic cardiac arrest, which required the performance of a needle thoracocentesis. Slightly nervous and with some assistance, I successfully managed to perform the procedure. I can honestly say that this shift was by far the busiest I have had since I started as a student. I also learned another important lesson—‘be careful what you wish for!’
Although I may not have realised it as a student, the circumstances in which paramedics work are not always safe or pleasant. However, my experience thus far suggests that so long as fears are kept from becoming crippling, clinical practice is unmatched in terms of the value it adds to learning. The clinical setting can be tumultuous, violent, and unpredictable, just like in television shows—but it is also frequently mundane and predictable, and it is impossible to foresee what patients or situations you will encounter.
When I think back on this period of my career, I am incredibly appreciative of the university programme of study I received and the help I had from my practice educators. Although I am confident in my preparation, it is somwhat intimidating to realise that my registration has served only as the beginning of my professional development and a transition from novice toward expert.