Choosing my Destination

After graduating university I knew I didn’t want to go into the field I studied due to the large amount of office work. I spoke to those I worked with at the time about what job they think I would be capable of, and which sectors offered long term good employment benefits. I also looked into sectors that I felt would keep me busy and be rewarding as I felt that I wanted my work to achieve something. This lead me to looking into the emergency services. I then contacted those I knew in such services to ask them of their experiences. 

Extra Curricular & Work Experience

Work experience in a veterinary surgery helped me consolidate biological and physiological knowledge in a way that’s hard to achieve on paper. It also helped me become accustomed to speaking with patients and switching between biological terms and plain English. It was also an excellent insight into working in a close nit team under pressure.  

I was also an avid equestrian, such a sport taught me dedication and determination due to the unpredictable nature of the sport. It also taught me to perform well under pressure, due to the competitive nature of the sport. 

Skills I've developed

My communication is one of my strongest and most important assets, whether this is communicating with paramedics, nurses, consultants or patients. Another integral part of my communication skills is to be able to read people and situations, so that I can always keep patients calm, and respond to any escalating behaviour. 

Critical thinking is also imperative in my job, as it allows me to assess patients and think of the best treatment options, this especially important in time critical and evolving situations. 

Vigilance is incredibly important as in emergency driving it allows me to predict drivers movements and drive safely at speed. It also helps keep myself, my crewmate and my patient safe on scene as I can complete many dynamic risk assessments. 

My Advice

I wish that I knew plans can always be changed. That it’s ok if you don’t know what to do with the rest of your life in S3 when you pick your subjects.

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice! It can be scary at first but is always helpful to help figure out what path you want to take. It’s also ok to change paths many times, and rule things out if it helps narrow things down.