The University Diaries

I am back with another hospital placement review! I am a third year student now and we have to do five weeks of out-of-ambulance placement this year, which includes paediatrics! I was placed in the children's assessment unit at my local hospital, here is what I saw, found and learnt! Background I contacted my placement provider two or three months before I was due to start placement, about a month in advance, the lady who is the student coordinator sent me the dates that she was working that week so that I would definitely be placed with her. She gave me Monday, Wednesday and Saturday which was a little odd as I am used to working consecutive days, however it was actually really helpful as on those days off I was able to work and catch up on life things (and sleep as I had just come off Scout camp and was completely exhausted). I arranged for my boyfriend to take me in on his way to work because hospital parking is always a total nightmare for staff, and really expensive for pat...

I am a third (and final) year Paramedic Science student who helps at interview days and (back in the day) attended five interview days and got five offers! Here are examples of what you *might* be asked during your Paramedic Science interview. Sorry if none of these come up, please let me know what you get asked so we can give the future generation an idea of what to expect! These questions apply to MMIs (multiple mini interviews), individual and group interviews and also written literacy tests. Generic Questions - What is your perception of the role of a paramedic? - How is it best to deal with conflict (between crew mates/supervisors/managers etc)? - What is something that is currently affecting the profession (anything recent in the news)? - What is professionalism? - What is teamwork? - What do you understand about patient confidentiality? - How would you deal with difficult patients/angry relatives? - What areas do you know of that paramedics work in/how is the ambulance...

I am a third year Paramedic Science student, stuff has never felt more real than being in the year that I *should* graduate in. I am terrified. Let's jump in to what I want to achieve this year (which might give you some Pass my degree In all honesty, I have got to the point (that I'm sure most people get to during their Paramedic Science degree) where I just want to pass my degree, I will take any grade that will make me a paramedic this year. Dramatic but desperately true. Feel confident going into my OSCE It seems that every practical exam I sit, I go in and come out more of a state than the past. This year I pledge to myself that I will be more prepared as I will start consolidating my notes and learning earlier and I will start revising that information earlier. Stay on top of my dissertation So here is the thing, basically once we have our dissertation and final essay in we can finish uni and enjoy the rest of our summer, and I did not really get a summer holiday...

As many of you know, I am a third year paramedic science student. It is now 2020 and whilst everyone on my social media feeds is seeming optimistic for the future, I feel quite the opposite. This is the year that I hope to graduate in. I say this quite negatively, but I guess that is honestly how I currently feel about my degree. I am not sure how I should feel about my degree, but I am aware that my boyfriend never had this level of anxiety and self-doubt during his studies and I am not sure this is how someone should feel during their degree, especially one which is vocational and will lead me directly to my future job. This may sound like I hate paramedicine - but actually it's far from it. I really enjoy being a (student) paramedic, the practice, learning and people, but its all the bits that you do not expect from your degree that I do not enjoy:  - The fear of getting a bad mark in an essay that accounts for 100% of a module or even worse, failing a module and having to ...

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions that I received in the academic year 2018/19. I am so lucky to have such an interested and enthusiastic Instagram follower base, so this is where these questions come from as it is the best way to get hold of me! If you have any questions, please always feel free to send me a message! What year are you in and where do you study? Originally I was going to keep this on the down-low, however as every university is different it is probably quite helpful to let you guys know. I study at Anglia Ruskin University and I am now in Year 3, although these questions were asked when I was in Year 2! How do your ambulance placements work? Do you get paid? With the university route, you do not get paid unless you do a sandwich (placement) year, and I am not sure if any universities do that anymore (I know University of Hertfordshire used to but does not anymore). As you may not have your blue-light driving qualification and you are not employ...

You want to go to university? Go you! I applied to five universities to study BSc Paramedic Science, undergoing English and maths selection tests, multiple mini interviews (MMIs), individual interviews and group interviews, and I received five offers. This is how I prepared, practised and performed. Choose Your Choices Wisely Check what the requirements for the course are. Be aware of what you will require to get onto the course. Not being the strongest at English or maths should not reduce your chance for getting in, but speak to the university as they will be able to advise how you can revise, or they may say that the test is not selective and purely so they can gauge what and how much support you may need. Before ruling out a choice as you think you may not get in, enquire further and see what the university can do for you, so you can do the best for them. Practice Makes Perfect Practice for the English and Maths tests using your school/college or university resources. G...

Week four of hospital placements was based in a Cardiothoracics centre for my intensive care sign off.  The Cardiothoracics centre is important to me to understand as if I have a patient with a stemi that meets required criteria, I would likely be bringing them to this centre as there are only two PPCI centres in my area. Background I was required to be on this placement for three days, for 13 hour shifts.The centre is for planned procedures and emergency cases, whilst also having a really large ward for patients varying in severity from 'ready to go home' to high dependency. I was based in the high dependency part of the ward with the opportunity to end up in different departments throughout the centre, such as the waiting rooms, operating theatres and intensive care. Day 1 With another long day ahead of me, I woke up at 5am, left the house at 5.30am and arrived just before 7am. I went in and found the nurse in charge who directed me to get changed, and then to the staff...

The first term can be really exciting and really daunting, but do not worry, everyone is in the same boat. The important parts of the first term are to acquaint yourself with your fellow student paramedics, get settled into uni and university life and to learn the basics. Here is how to do that! At Home If you are living at university, normally universities will give you contact details for the people you will be living with so you can have a chat with them before you move in. They also normally try to put you in houses with people who are on a similar course or have common interests to you. There are also normally large group chats which are made by people on the course so that everyone can chat before they meet properly for the first time. Either look for a Freshers Facebook Group for your university or you can look on Paramedic groups on facebook, such as So You Want To Be A Paramedic. If you do not see anyone in there from your university, feel free to post nicely and people wil...

So my second week of hospital placements was in Labour Ward! This was really exciting to me because I wondered whether or not I should be a midwife and I am really excited for the first time that I will catch a baby on my own on the road! If you have not read about my first week of placement, that can be found here . Background So I required 37.5 hours for this placement block, which equates to three long days as the midwives work 12.5 hour days. I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (and then I moved house!) so the week was quite tiring. I was at the same hospital that I did my Acute Medical Unit placement in, which was great as I knew roughly where to park and how long it would take me to get to and from placement (approximately 30 minutes). I was not given any prior information and I was not designated a mentor, so I just turned up on my first day! Day 1 My day started at 6am (which is quite the lie in after the previous week!). I had breakfast and some tea and left the house...

Left to right: ID badge, stethoscope, radio clip, shears/tough cuts, lip balm, tourniquet,  alcohol gel and clip, pens and pen torch. Here are my uniform essentials! Read on for where I position these items and the bits I did not include on the photo. ID Badge I put this on my collarbone where the loops are, you need your ID badge as ID (obviously) but also to get into the buildings. On your first shift you will need to tap it against the keypad and it will beep to let you in! Just a side note, some ambulance stations have really funny locks on them, so to get out, you may have to turn a grey knob to get yourself out (better to know than not!). Stethoscope I use this  Littman III Cardiology stethoscope (in orange, as you can see) and it is great because it's head twists to hear more sensitive sounds. I generally keep my steth in my knee pockets, however I have two points to make. Firstly, keeping it in your pocket can slightly disfigure it or it can get caught on t...

Once you are over the honeymoon stage of your degree - those wonderful first few weeks where you cannot wait to read your textbooks and read up on everything - the degree marriage life becomes real. Three years feels like an awful long time whilst disappearing in a flash, and quite honestly, I feel like I have been ripped off a bit. If you love every second of your degree life, probably do not keep reading, this could turn out to be a bit negative. I never wanted to go to university. I have always been of the mindset that I want to work, earn my own money, buy a house and live my life. University felt like far too much of a commitment that would get in the way of things I loved. I decided that I wanted to go when I was set on becoming a physiotherapist. I had gone to open days and sat in talks, which is where I heard about the Paramedic Science degree. Since I was small, I wanted to be a paramedic (as my parents were in the police doing 'exciting' jobs, combined with my love ...

Happy New Year! Happy 2019! So, 2018 had its ups and downs, and I feel more myself than I've felt in ages. Time to review 2018; the good, the bad and the ugly. Enjoy. ACHIEVEMENTS I like to count all achievements, no matter how small! I must add that I'm quite competitive, especially with myself, so I'm hoping that in 2019 I do better than this list! Passed my motorcycle test Rescued a child at work Completed in two cheerleading competitions in Nottingham and Birmingham Wrote two, almost three essays Did CPR on a real person (a few times, and no ROSC unfortunately) Smashed my OSCEs (obnoxious - sorry not sorry), with 99% in my basic life support exam Sailed in our RS 400 for the first time (and capsized within five seconds) Passed my first year of university with a first! Hugely reduced my alcohol consumption Became a fully fledged Sea Scout leader Completed ten weeks of ambulance placement in year one, and five in year two TRAVEL In the first six mon...

So, I am half way through my first trimester and I thought it would be a good idea to give an update because I have had quite a few fellow students ask how I have been finding it! I am glad I am actually helping others with my experience! The first month in second year was a ball.  I felt on top with everything. I was working full time and managing a couple of days in uni and everything was grand. I wrote up my lecture notes before the lecture so I could sit, annotate and absorb during the lecture. I found the information and understanding it was stretching me, but in a good way. I kept up! Even in the labs I seemed to be doing pretty well, especially in comparison to the previous year. I was answering questions that others were getting wrong, and I took part in one scenario (with another person as a crew on a truck) where my lecturer said we did the best out of everyone he had seen. I definitely needed this confidence boost as I was feeling a bit deflated as I always felt beh...

The Practice Assessment Document (PAD) will rule your life during your 10 weeks of placement in your first year of uni. Here are my tips for passing your PAD, and how to make it easier. Enjoy! What is the PAD and what does it include? The PAD is your evidence for completing certain skills whilst on placement which is pass or fail. Your mentor (or PED) has to fill it out identifying which jobs you have been exposed to, and how you handled them. They can grade you as assisted (needing help), minimal supervision (the odd prompt here or there) or independent (woo, go you! Did it safely all by yourself). It includes skills from your Skills Passport and adds in other essential skills too, such as: airway management, cervical spine immobilisation, fracture splinting, IM injections and signposting to alternative pathways. There is are patient assessment pages, which patients fill out about how they feel you treated them, and there is a personal review on your time on placement. Your me...

I think that academic year 2018/19 sounds really exciting! I am currently going into Year 2 of my Paramedic Science BSc with other plans and ventures in mind. Here are some rambles from me which may motivate you to be a better you in the coming academic year. My Degree Plans   So Year 2 is where is gets serious. All of your grades count and second year is considerably harder than first year! I have been told by my lecturer to start revising for my pharmacology exam over the summer as there is lots to learn, so I need to start that soon. I also plan to be far more organised when it comes to essay writing as all of my essays in first year were completed unnecessarily stressfully and I know that I could easily start and finish them earlier, probably producing work of a better quality. I plan to go to all of my lectures (I missed one or two last year from being ill) and to try to fully absorb the information by reducing my distractions (talking, playing on my phone etc). I am al...