Becoming an autonomous practitioner

A holistic approach is used by paramedics to make the best decisions for a patient using the resources available to them—and as students, they have to learn how to make these decisions independently. Throughout my first year as a student paramedic, I have begun to develop the skills and acquire the knowledge to practise autonomously, both while out on placement and when studying at university. Thankfully I still have 2 years to become proficient at it.

At university, I wrote an essay investigating the factors that influence decision-making. Exploring how reflections, paramedic role boundaries and evidence-based practice can be used to aid the decision-making process has taught me that pathways and algorithms can be very useful. However, I've also learned that there are many circumstances where they may need to be tailored to the situation, rather than followed to the letter, so that patient-specific care can be provided and the best outcome can be achieved. The time I spent writing the essay helped me to think more logically when being presented with multiple options, and provided me with the confidence to begin making decisions when out in practice on my final placement block of the year.