Working with them all

Student paramedics work alongside a wide variety of clinicians when on placement, from Newly Qualified Paramedics (NQPs) to Bronze Commanders. I have been assigned a team at High Wycombe so that I have a Clinical Mentor (CM) and a Team Leader (TL) but I still regularly work with clinicians from all teams and occasionally at other stations too when there are no shifts available at my allocated station. Some students view it as a hindrance that we don't get to build rapport with a small number of clinicians, but I see it as an opportunity that I won't get again once I graduate. Now I have seen the College of Paramedic's Career Framework in practice and observed how paramedics branch out into different roles—this has given me a better understanding of my future career.

Working with my CM has allowed me to assess my progress and set appropriate targets for my development. It has also provided me with an insight into how important mentoring has become as a skill for paramedics—so much so that there is a requirement to study a module on education within the paramedic profession in the final year of my degree. I have also been fortunate enough to accompany a Specialist Paramedic (SP) for a few shifts and have since learned about skills, such as suturing and catheter care, that can be performed by paramedics following additional training. There is no doubt that these techniques will have changed by the time I qualify but I have developed a better awareness of the tasks that are currently performed by SPs.