Four pillars to stand on

When I saw the advert for the College of Paramedics' Regional Conference in Aberdeen, I thought this would be a great opportunity to attend a continuing professional development (CPD) event and meet some like-minded people. Fast forward a few weeks, and when that 4:45 am alarm went off, it did cross my mind to roll over and go back to sleep. Thankfully, I didn't.

There was a varied agenda from the exciting world of major trauma to the polar opposite discussion of mental capacity in patients with suicidal ideations. The stand out session for me was on leadership. Thinking about the College of Paramedics' Career Framework and the four pillars, a lot of emphasis is put on clinical practice on a daily basis, but education, research and leadership are equally important. I think it is important to think of ourselves as standing equally on all four pillars rather than choosing one and balancing it. This got me thinking about how I currently stand on the pillars and how newly qualified paramedics (NQPs) can be aligned to all pillars—not just the clinical one.