Looking ahead to my second year as a student paramedic

Paramedic Science student Oli takes the opportunity to look back on his first year and ahead to his second year.

Looking back

I can't quite believe that this time last year I was starting my first year as a student paramedic.

So much has happened over the last year: I have seen things I never thought I would have, learned things I would once have deemed far too complicated (…it turns out that an ECG isn’t just a random wiggly line?!), and made friendships which I hope will last a very long time.

A year ago, when I was an inexperienced first aider, I started volunteering with a scout first aid and medical team. At this point, I was just about able to take observations and stick a plaster on a patient, but any assessment of a patient would require me to seek further assistance, and my paperwork left a lot to be desired.

This year I attended another camp with the same team and it was amazing to see what a difference a year on this course had made. I was able to fully assess the majority of my patients, knew how to treat them, and my paperwork was even complimented by senior members of the team!

Looking forward

I know there will be new challenges to face me in my second year. The lectures are going to get tougher, the expectations of me on placement higher, and the workload greater.

My year group will also have to get used to not being the new (and only) student paramedics at ARU as the new intake arrive and start their path to becoming paramedics.

I wish them all the best, and I'm sure all of my year group will be at hand should anyone have any queries about first year, though it's probably best not to ask us for directions around the Young Street site – it's four times bigger than when we left for summer, so I expect we will all be as lost as the freshers!

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Oli studies Paramedic Science at ARU in Cambridge. Find out more about this and other degree courses at one of our Open Days.