Settling into primary care

Hi, my name is Jen, and I've just taken the scary leap of moving from the ambulance environment into primary care! I'm hoping this column will shed some light on why I made the move, how it is to work in this setting, and especially the differences from emergency care.

So, why make the move? Although the puzzle-solving elements of visiting a patient in the community with acute symptoms and managing time-critical cases such as sepsis, myocardial infarction and trauma is engaging, after 3 years, I started to feel that missing puzzle piece from the patient journey. There was minimal feedback from case management, and I was also keen to learn new skills used in primary care such as ear and skin assessments.

With these elements in mind, I started to look at the advertised roles for paramedic practitioners in primary care. I landed upon a very busy clinic in South London, with a large register of patients from different demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. I was chuffed to get an interview and thrilled post interview to be offered the position!