Power of a Mentor

Mentorship is a longstanding component of paramedic education, with deeper involvement in high-quality mentorship soon to be a required part of HCPC registration. Mentor systems vary, with some students only rarely working with their named mentor and others only ever working with the same crewmates. As a student paramedic within the latter system, I had a consistent mentor for much of my first year of training—though it was not an aspect of my education and welfare I thought too much about—until it was taken away.

I have had many mentors, both official and unofficial, during my career. A big part of the reason I applied to my degree was due to a practitioner who took me under their wing when I was just starting out in emergency care. Without their help and encouragement, I would never have dredged up the courage to apply to my course (Thanks Anne!).

On joining my Trust for placement, I was assigned a mentor like everyone else. There were ups and downs—but having a friendly face who knew me was a big help. However, at the start of my second year (through no one’s fault), my mentor was unavailable and due to how late this was noticed, so too was every other mentor in my area.