At the time of writing, there is a new cohort of BSc students out on their second-year placement. This gets me thinking back to all the practice educators that influenced my practice and all the hints and tips they passed on to me—like some of the Christmas family traditions that a lot of us keep. I can vividly remember my first-ever day as a student on placement, and some of the advice my mentor gave me. As students, we were taught to take on board as much advice as we could and use this to shape our own practice. Now, as a practice educator myself, I try and pass on some of my wisdom to others.
As a student, it can be difficult to decipher the advice passed on; differentiating years of experience from current best practice. Moving into my NQP year, this became somewhat easier as I grew in my confidence and became comfortable with my knowledge. I could articulate clearly why I wanted to do things the way I did. Some of this was a result of the hints and tips I was taught by previous mentors—but much was informed by best practice, with a clear and current evidence base.
Keeping on top of knowledge and CPD is challenging; when every day as an NQP can be a steep learning curve, taking additional dedicated time to contribute to your own learning can be difficult. Arguably, the NQP programme (whether that be a 1-year programme in Scotland or a 2-year programme elsewhere in the UK) is a continuous period of CPD as we take this time to consolidate our learning from university and apply it to practice. Our requirement for CPD is still there and the only way to stay current, is to keep learning and asking questions. I have an ever-growing list of CPD topics that I add to when something crops up that I need to invest the time in researching and learning about. This ensures that when I do find time for my regular CPD, I have a quick list of topics to access rather than trying to think of something to look into at the time. I allocate a few hours a month to my CPD. Sometimes I use this time to revise things that I have come across that I, for some reason, cannot remember (electrocardiogram (ECG) changes in pulmonary embolisms (PEs) being one that is regularly revised!).
I make no secret of my desire to be up to date with my knowledge and I love passing this on to students and other colleagues. Some people class this as being a bit of a geek—if that is the case, I don't mind. I want to be best I can be and staying up to date with my knowledge and networking with like-minded individuals helps me to achieve this.
It has been a privilege to write this column for the past year—I hope that you have enjoyed it and perhaps taken something from it. Being a paramedic is the best job in the world (in my, slightly biased, opinion). Take every opportunity that's thrown at you and use this to shape your own practice. Sing those Christmas songs at the top of your lungs like no one is listening, dance at the station party like no one is watching and be the best version of yourself that you can be. Be true to yourself and keep learning—don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd—though, for the right reasons!