After studying a degree in health, many jobs that you can go on to do will often be in the NHS. You might already have experience of working for the NHS before coming to university too, so you will know just how inspiring and motivating it is to be part of.
We asked Paramedic Science student, Carl what inspires him to study a healthcare related degree and what he loves most about working for the NHS…
Paramedic Science student, Carl:
“The reason I got into this field initially was because a very good friend of mine who happened to have short term memory problems and hearing issues always wanted to work in a care setting. She tried for years and eventually found a job as a carer for elderly people with dementia. Unfortunately, her happiness in her new role was short lived as she tragically passed away from a brain tumour a few months later. This made me reassess my own life and I concluded that if I can help others like she wanted, then every person I would treat would have been someone she would have treated.
I then started volunteering with the NHS as a Community First Responder which was a very supportive role - staff treated us like one of their own and put a lot of effort into our training. After 4 years I then ended my voluntary duties to move on to other things within the ambulance sector. A couple of years later I was able to get a job as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher where I worked in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) for just under a year.
I was proud to work in the EOC because when we did a good job, our managers would recognise it and say well done. If we needed or wanted feedback it was easily attained and if we had any issues with anything to do with our role, we were able to request extra training. Due to the nature of the calls we were receiving, it was easy to feel low, but when this happened, there was a reverend who we could always talk to and welcomed everyone within the NHS community - and you didn’t have to necessarily talk to him about religion. We also had constant peer to peer support throughout our time. If any of us had a difficult call, our team leader would notice that and let us take a bit of time to gather our thoughts.
The NHS is aware of the pressures they ask us to face daily, and we are given incentives to achieve our best, you could feel it in the team morale on those late nights and early mornings on 12-hour shifts. I enjoyed my first roles in the NHS and have realised that I want to continue my career on the front-line in the NHS as a Paramedic.”
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