What does a paramedic do? 

Thinking about becoming a paramedic? Jack tells us how he got into the ambulance service, the highs and lows of the job and his advice if you want to follow in his footsteps

Participants

• Emily Slade - podcast producer and host, Prospects
• Jack Callingham - paramedic

Transcript

This episode contains discussions of death, which may be distressing for some listeners. Please proceed with caution if you find this topic sensitive or triggering. Your wellbeing is important, so feel free to skip this episode or take a break if needed. 

Jack Callingham: What I love most about the job is that you get the never ending pursuit of sort of knowledge and getting better. Everyone's in the job to get better, you will never know everything there is to know about the job, because if you do, I don't think you're doing it right.

Emily Slade: Hello and welcome back to Future You, the podcast brought to you by graduate careers experts, Prospects. I'm your host Emily Slade and in this episode I speak to Jack who works as a paramedic.

Jack Callingham: My name's Jack Callingham. I work as a paramedic, or a newly qualified paramedic in the East of England ambulance service, and so I specifically work out of Central Norwich.

Emily Slade: Perfect, so what does a paramedic do?

Jack Callingham: So a paramedic, I mean, there's sort of a conventional, stereotypical thought of, you know, you deal with blood, guts and gore on a daily basis. I think that's quite far from the truth. Oh, okay. It's, you know, we go to those jobs every once a blue moon, especially in, I mean, I can only speak for central Norwich, because it's not exactly a dangerous area. It's quite chill. I mean, you get lots of people who have lots of chronic illnesses, who live quite far away in the sticks, so it's more, you know, that's what we deal with. Obviously, you do get the RTCs or the car crashes, because obviously we've got those country roads. And, you know, you get people who absolutely bomb it round, and they won't see the corner until it's too late, that sort of stuff. But, I mean, what we do is obviously the emergency care part with, like, RTCs, cardiac arrests, births.

Emily Slade: Births?

Jack Callingham: Yeah, I know, yeah. It's so fun. Honestly, I love it. I mean, it's scary when you get in that situation, but after once they're born, it's great.

Emily Slade: Oh my goodness. So would it be someone's on the way to the hospital, or is it just like they want to have a home birth? Like, what? Specifically, when are you called in?

Jack Callingham: So normally it's, they'll be at home. I mean, I've heard of people like driving to hospital from other colleagues, and they'll meet them about halfway and then deliver the baby, even in the car or the ambulance. I've never had that. I never want to deal with that, because that is just awful. But no, I've always dealt with them when they're at home. I mean, I have had one which was outside. They were walking, trying to stimulate the process. And then, yeah, it was like, just open the ambulance, please. But no, it's sort of that sort of stuff. We do lots of social care. You get some older, older people who don't have that sort of care package in place, like carers who deal with sort of meds, management, personal care, you know, just helping around the house, keeping the house clean, so it sort of declutters everything, so it reduces their risk of falling that sort of stuff. So what we can do, I think what the best parts about this job is that we have quite an objective opinion when we walk in, because you have lots of family who will be like, Oh, no. We think they're doing really, really well. And we can say, look, I think, you know, I don't think so. I think they could probably benefit from having, you know, probably a carer just perhaps once a day just to help them, you know, if it's, you know, to help them, if they're by themselves, or to give their partner a bit of respite, because it's all well and good being that sole carer for your partner or your mum or your dad, but, you know, ultimately, you need to look after yourself too, because it can very, very taxing, yeah. So it's a lot of that, a lot of sort of primary care stuff. Over the past years, there's been a transition from emergency care, I mean, in Norwich to primary care. You know, I go to more primary care jobs and emergency jobs, yeah. So it's like someone just needs the dosage of their medication upped or down or stopped. They need to refer back to their GP for something.

Emily Slade: Amazing. So did you go to university?

Jack Callingham: Yes, I did go to university. So there is two routes you can do. So there's the external route or internal route. Ultimately it's now, you now have to have a degree to be a paramedic, right? Very controversial amongst some people, old school Paras. The external is just going to university. You go for three years, and then you get a job after that. So I went to UEA University of East Anglia. Absolutely loved my time there. Or the internal route is where you can join as, so there's different grades. So you have an ECA, which is emergency care assistant, you get an EMT, an emergency medical technician and a paramedic. Some people like to join an ECA because they can sort of ease their way into a job. You know, their scope of practice isn't that much, so they gain that experience and get comfortable in the job, and then the trust will then help with your progression, so you can go on to be a technician.

Emily Slade: So to come in at that ECA level. You don't necessarily have to have any official qualifications. You can just turn up and be like, I would like to start my career. You can just enter at that level and then the company will help you go from there?

Jack Callingham: Yeah, I mean, I don't know what the like the entry requirements are, but I don't think it's all that high. You don't have to be an academic to start out, because there's lots of, like, the old school Paras. They started off as ETAs, and they've worked their way up. Yeah, they're gone from that to tech to power, and then they're literally maxed out at para at the moment, like the top of their game and their sort of band, really. But yeah, no, it's really good because then, then when you go to tech, there's an internal pathway to be a paramedic, so the Trust will pay for you to go to university. So as opposed to studying for three years in the external route, you will stay for two years, because the first year of university is more, sort of, just to get you sort of accustomed, yeah, to what being a paramedic is, what life is. I mean, they say, once you pass your first year in university, you are an ECA level. When you pass your second year, you're a technician level. And then when you pass your third year you are a paramedic. But, yeah, no, with the internal route, I think it's ultimately the smart choice, because you don't have to pay, they pay for you to go to university. You know, you get to work whilst you do it so you get the experience alongside.

Emily Slade: Okay, so why did you not take the internal route? What made you end up at the UEA to study being a paramedic?

Jack Callingham: Originally I wanted to do medicine. Got my A Level results. Wasn't the best, so I got rejected from all my offers. I thought, I'll just take a year off. It's absolutely fine. I can always come back and I can reattempt the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test) , which is the entry test for medicine, so I'll just try it again. Try next time. Next time around. Didn't go as well. So I thought, you know, I really need a backup option. And during that year, I was thinking, you know, what do I actually want to do? For some reason, just being a chef popped in my mind. I don't know why. I've always loved foods. I was like, Oh, well, yeah, no, maybe I could do that. So I was like, someone who I worked with had connections, one in France, in the restaurant, and I was just emailing him back and forth. I'm really impressed to come out. I haven't got any experience, but I'd love to come in just work for you and just learn what I can but then caved here, yeah, so I couldn't travel out there. So I was like, I'm gonna have to find a backup option here, a backup for my backup? Yeah. And I was like, craggy, it's really not going well for me. I was such a nerd in sixth form. I loved biology and chemistry, so I thought I do biomedical sciences. So applied for UCAS to do that at UEA. And then I got talking to someone else at work, and they were like, oh, I'm doing like, the paramedic science course, talking through and I was like, this sounds absolutely amazing, like I am too ADHD, to sit in a lab. I need to be out and about. I need to be driving fast in vans and cars and all sorts of stuff. And I was like, yeah, no, I really want to do that. So I applied through clearing, and I managed to get in. Had my interview instead of in person, over the phone. Very intimidating, very much so because I remember the one thing they tell you for like medical school interviews, they say, you know, if you're panicking, just say, look, I need to take a minute. Can I just have a minute just to gather my thoughts, and I'll get back, get back to you. So I said this during my interview, and they said, "oh, well, we rather you don't." I was like, okay, I went down to my mum, and she was like, "How'd it go? How'd it go?" I was like, Oh, just verbal diarrhea. It's just like, get it out. I was like, I don't think I've done very well, but no, I got the place and I'm in and now in the job.

Emily Slade: Yeah incredible, So how did you get your job? Was it very easy? Did you graduate and walk straight into the working world?

Jack Callingham: So the thing with applying to the ambulance service, it's not like the university have an agreement with the trust to send you through immediately. You have to apply as normal. So you go on a website called TAC they'll put up vacancies for being a paramedic. The only sort of difference to, like, a standard transition did a job is that we didn't have to do an interview, because over those three years of placement, they were like, That's interview enough. You know, if we've if you've done something and we didn't like it, we won't offer you the job, because, yeah, that's more intensive than any sort of, like, 10 minute interview.

Emily Slade: What do you love most about your job?

Jack Callingham: Oh, god. What do I love most about my job? I love absolutely everything about my job. I mean, I don't think there's a day where, if you ask people I work with, I've got a chronic smile. I absolutely love it, like infectious enthusiasm. I mean, I think. What I love most about the job is that you know, you get the never ending pursuit sort of knowledge and getting better. Everyone's in job to get better. You will never know everything there is to know about the job, because if you do, I don't think you're doing it right, but no, and it's just the progression you get from there. Because there's so many routes you can take. You can go into critical care, like the air ambulance. You could go into urgent care, which, like can be GP based. You can go into a place called Heart, which is the Hadas hazardous area response teams. You get your lecturers, lot of lecturers we had. They are still paramedics, or were paramedics.

Emily Slade: Oh, wow.

Jack Callingham: You can go into a managerial position, what we call LOMS, so Line Operating Managers. But yeah, no, it's just that. It's that. And meeting people like you meet such like people who have such cool jobs, like I remember a couple weeks ago I met a person who used to be, like, the head, I don't know the technical name, but the head Butler for, like, parts of the royal family and loads of lords and ladies. And he didn't talk about it initially. It's when we got him onto the ambulance. His wife was like, ask about his job. And I was like, oh don't you worry, I always ask about the job. I was like, I've heard you got an interesting job. And he started talking to me about it. I was like, This is so cool. I love it.

Trailer: Hi there. I'm Jordan, host of the People First podcast, the young careers podcast. If you're listening to this, maybe you're early in your career journey, or you could be wanting to make a change. Maybe you're just overwhelmed with the demands in our work and life at present, and are seeking some guidance. In this podcast, we'll digest the common things young people are facing in the world of work. "You are not supposed to know everything. You are supposed to be asking loads of questions." "I had some form of neurodiversity. It's nice to be able to have that outside the box thinking." "Mindfulness and wellbeing can seem like this big club, but actually it is the most simple thing in the world." This is a space for open and honest conversation, helping you make positive tunes. Let's kick off.

Emily Slade: So what's the best piece of advice that you've ever received?

Jack Callingham: Walk don't run.

Emily Slade: Ooooh.

Jack Callingham: So when you're going into jobs. I always got told this by every mentor I had. If you run into a job, you'll start panicking, and things will get away from you. If you walk, you'll be composed, you'll be you won't be panicked. And it's a philosophy I would always carry an hour in part to students I have. I think it's the best part of it, you know? Because, I mean, the other week, I remember I was on, I was doing a car shift, and we had a cardiac arrest, and I was gonna be first on scene. And I remember I was driving there, and, Christ, this is gonna be, this is gonna be difficult manage it, because you gotta manage the family as well, because they're going through such an emotionally distressing time. And then you've also got to crack on with, you know, ventilating and performance EPR and, you know, trying to get history together and what's happened and led to this situation. But I just remember just literally thinking to myself, walk, don't run.

Emily Slade: What hard skills do you use for your job.

Jack Callingham: So I think the hard skills we have is obviously cannulating, so just put a needle in someone's arm so we can give the drugs we have.

Emily Slade: Is that? ...What's that like?

Jack Callingham: So it's, I think it's a motor skill at the end of day. So it's a lot easier than people think, okay, I mean, I had a an ad hoc shift with a student, because in their second year, so they talked to cannulate, and they were just really nervous about, can you later? I was like, it's not a hard skill. Like, if I've done it, if I can do it, anyone can do it.

Emily Slade: I guess. What are the things that can go wrong? Is it that the things that can go wrong aren't as bad as you think? Because I guess people have this in I would envision, like, stabbing into an artery and causing someone to like explode?

Jack Callingham: Normally, it's quite easy, like you just feel for a vein and then you just pop it right in, yeah, if that's your because if we can't get that, we have something called an IO so cracker can never pronounce it, but essentially, it's you. If you can't cannulate someone, you drill into the bone.

Emily Slade: Into the bone? Jack Callingham: Yeah. It's a it's Yeah. I know it's quite an intense thing to do. I mean, it's sort of, it's like last resort.

Emily Slade: I should have considered how squeamish I was before I asked you questions. So in terms of soft skills, is that, like, I imagine communications a big one, both amongst the team and with the patients.

Jack Callingham: I think soft skills are hugely important, you know. Obviously working with your crewmates, because it's 12 hours, you're in a ambulance with them, so you don't want it to go bad. Also being able to challenge people, if they believe that what you're doing is right, from my experience, you can challenge anyone, and no one will get annoyed by it, as long as you broach it in the right way. But then you know, you get communication with patients. Sometimes, you know, they require quite a sort of quite gentle approach, because some scenarios you have, like patients who are nearing the end of their life, sometimes you have to have quite frank conversation with them. And then there's the more challenge, the other challenging sides is like cardiac arrests or trauma, where you have family there, and you've got to not only deal with the patient, which is really challenging in itself, but you know, communicating the family, just saying, Look, we're going to start doing some treatment. Do you want to be in the room? This is going to be quite brutal. I complete respect if you want to stay in and watch, but if you want to step outside, obviously, when we get someone in to back to give us a hand, we'll come out and we'll have a chat. We'll let you know what's going on. And it can be really, really difficult, and especially delivering bad news.

Emily Slade: I was gonna say, do you go on, like, get special training on like, how to deliver bad news, or is it just, you just pick up how best to do it, and everybody has their own way.

Jack Callingham: So at university, we got taught how to do it. But, you know, you get taught an acronym on how to do it, and that's not really...

Emily Slade: you can't really apply that in real life?

Jack Callingham: Exactly, because, you know, there's, there's like, core parts to it where it's just like, You got to find the right environment. Do they feel comfortable? But, you know, I've seen loads of paramedics do it. I've done it myself. I've found, you find that way to talk to patients. And you know, you ask, you know, What's your understanding of the situation? And you know, you can then know what they're saying, you can fill in the gaps for them. And then you can then go on to say, like, if they have passed away, you'll say, Look, I'm really sorry, but your partner has died. You know, we tried but their heart stopped working for them. We've given them all the treatment we can, but unfortunately, they've been unresponsive to that treatment. So we thought it'd be within their best interest that we hold resuscitation, we stop. And then you say, would you like to be in the room while we stop? Most some people like to be in the room and hold hands where we stop. Or they say, No, I'd rather, you know, you just clear up what you've got nerve and I can come back in. And then you'll say, you know, how can we make this situation better?

Emily Slade: This is so upsetting.

Jack Callingham: I'm sorry. It's no, it can be really challenging.

Emily Slade: No it's fine, so how do you deal with that? Is there aid in your industry and sector, in your team to sort of, do you have a debrief afterwards to check in, to get the day off the next day, to go and deal, or do you not want to be alone after something like that?

Jack Callingham: So the trusts are hugely supportive. There's loads of phone numbers we can call normally after big jobs. You'll all debrief , in fact I've never not encountered a debrief after a big job. And you'll talk about how to job when, how you found it. And then people will then give you constructive criticism. They'll be like, Look, we noticed this. This could have been better for next time. And then you'll also

Emily Slade: Wow that's tough, to have done that, and then to get like feedback on it, I can't imagine that. But I suppose it's just part of the job? Jack Callingham: Yeah. I mean, it can be really challenging at some point. I mean, the one which I remember the most was the cardiac arrest. It was that cancer patient we went to, unfortunately, we can get back. And the fairly young, and it hit me quite hard. And, you know, stepped outside tell the partner, saying, Look, this is what's happened. They've died. I'm really sorry. We should be in the room with them, would you not? I not? And then he was just like, Oh, I've got my two daughters upstairs. I don't know how I'm going to tell them. And then you know that it gets because they were young in themselves, and it's really challenging to have to tell two young daughters that their mothers passed away. But, yeah, no, it's it can be really challenging, but your colleagues are hugely supportive. Like, I love everyone I work with. I've got nothing bad to say about anyone I've worked with. And when people hear about big jobs you've been on, even if they haven't been on with you. They'll always say, are you okay? How are you doing if you ever need to chat? You know, I'm here if you want to go get coffee outside at work, I'm always free. You know, I've got loads of people who are if I feel like I want to have a chat, as well as my partner, my mum, my mum's mental health nurse, so like she's got that part down. And. Um, but yeah, no, I think it's just having that good support network is hugely important, because it can really impact your mental health. Yeah, no. Very heavy.

Emily Slade: So what advice would you give to somebody that wanted to become a paramedic?

Jack Callingham: I'll say, go for it. It's the best job in the world. It's the only job where you get to legally break the speed limits.

Emily Slade: Haha.

Jack Callingham: Obviously, you get to go meet such cool people like you work with, or like patients, you get to help out. It's hugely satisfying. Yeah, and not just when you go to a cardiac arrest and you manage to get them back. It's I, I think I get lots of satisfaction from social care and urgent care jobs. I think it's just don't rush it.

Emily Slade: Okay.

Jack Callingham: I mean, when I started, I wanted to know everything. I wanted to be really good, but you've got to understand no one knows everything, and you will never know everything, because if you do, you just be like a doctor. But no, it's just I know because I really, you really a lot of what I did, a lot of my friends did early on University, you'd always beat yourself up because you do a scenario, and you wouldn't, you know, be able to figure out what was going on. You won't do certain things right, real like picnicky bits. And just don't beat yourself up. The job is hugely based off experience, and sometimes you don't get that experience or exposure to be able to make you that good. You just got to wait. You've got to let time take its course, and you gather that experience. You know, like I said, with delivering bad news, it's, you don't do it very often, but once you've done it a couple of times, you then become more comfortable. It's, it's a hugely uncomfortable situation, but you become, you find comfort in discomfort. You really just need to focus on the basics. You know, we have something called our primary survey where you just, it's a structural approach on how to manage a patient and what sort of life threatening things to look out for. Because you will panic like as a student, and when you qualify, like I panicked to the student. Many times I panicked when I've been qualified. I'm not afraid to admit that, but it's just having those basics to rely because once I just think, oh my god, I think I'm out of my depth, and you just think, no, no, no, go back to basics, and it re centers you so much. It all comes together. It really does. It's not the big jobs which can get you. Sometimes it's lots of little jobs which accumulate. So it's just so important to have that support network with your friends, your colleagues, your family, you know, like, I've been very lucky. My mum has always come back and talked about patients she's had. So we talk about that sort of stuff around the dinner table, like blood, guts and gore, that sort of stuff. But I remember when I first met my my partner's parents, and I was just talking about, like, an RTC I've went to and my partner kicked me under the table, being like, we're not accustomed to this, but I've gradually, I've gradually trained them over time, and now my partner's mum just absolutely loves it. She can't wait to hear all about it now. but yeah, I think it's just yeah, not rushing it, enjoying your time. If you go to university, university is such an incredible experience, because you grow so much as a person. You start to find your your sense of self. And I know it sounds really corny, like "you find yourself".

Emily Slade: But you do though.

Jack Callingham: And in the job, you grow so much. Like, there's people who I know, like, I mean, I'm 23 there's people who are 20 who are so mature, because the job just matures you so much. You go to so much, and it makes you think, you know, I'm so thankful for what I've got, and, you know, for the position I'm in and what opportunities I've had to get here.

Emily Slade: Amazing. Oh, that's brilliant. Thank you so so much for your time today. It's been amazing.

Jack Callingham: No, that's absolutely fine. I'm sorry I've brought you to tears.

Emily Slade: Haha, you're fine, i'm just super emotional. Thank you so much. Jack Callingham: No, it's fine, it's been an absolute pleasure to be here.

Emily Slade: Thanks again to Jack for his time. For more information on becoming a paramedic you can head to prospects.ac.uk. If you enjoyed the episode feel free to leave us a review on Apple or Spotify - for a full length video version of this episode check out our YouTube channel @futureyoupod. Thank you as always for listening and good luck on your journey to future you.

Notes on transcript

This transcript was produced using a combination of automated software and human transcribers and may contain errors. The audio version is definitive and should be checked before quoting.

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