Consultant Paramedic

I entered the paramedic profession after completing a foundation degree at Coventry University in 2011. My years as a student paramedic were spent in blue polo shirt and trouser outfit, to distinguish students from the staff in West Midlands Ambulance Service where my placements were. I will never forget the excitement of trying on my first set of green uniform during my induction to South Central Ambulance Service – I was staying in a hotel opposite the training centre and just did a happy little dance in the mirror for the start of my paramedic journey.

I topped up my foundation degree over the following two years, the modules requiring me to work in a minor injury unit and general practice. It wasn’t long after this that I became an Emergency Care Practitioner within SCAS, the name later changing to Specialist Paramedic Urgent Care. I completed my first Master’s degree in Critical Care (there were not many options available to paramedics at the time) and then slipped into a portfolio role, between SCAS, the minor injury unit where I had trained, the local university teaching paramedic science and later on primary care. I worked in this way for a number of years, enjoying the variety the different work spaces offered, and I think this was fundamental to my career development.

It was during my time as Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science that I completed my second Master’s degree in Education, with initial plans to make this a doctorate. I’d reduced all my working commitments back significantly – a requirement of studying at the University of Oxford was that I worked less than part time hours each week. However, during the time I was studying, the landscape of one of my work settings, primary care, started to change significantly and I had this idea that maybe this area would be worthy of further academic study. I completed this second Master’s degree and enrolled on a DPhil programme, still at Oxford, when my first role in the London Ambulance Service came up. As a Clinical Practice Development Manager for Advanced Paramedic Practitioners in Urgent Care, I could combine the work settings I was enjoying in my portfolio role into one payslip- and this was really appealing to me at the time! One job, encompassing the three clinical settings I enjoyed of ambulance service, urgent care and primary care, plus education and research. I was subsequently successful in obtaining doctoral research funding from the National Institute of Health and Social Care Research, and completed my DPhil in Evidence Based Healthcare in 2024, the same year I was appointed as Consultant Paramedic for Urgent Care in the London Ambulance Service.

Good question! I don’t think there’s such thing as a typical week as my job is so varied. Each week, a key priority is checking in with the clinical practice development managers for our Advanced Paramedic Practitioners in Urgent Care and our Specialist Paramedics in Primary Care, who I directly line manage. Colleague wellbeing is a key priority of mine and I know that if I look after them, they will look after the teams they lead, who in turn will look after the patients we serve. Checking in with them, troubleshooting challenges and hearing their teams successes is often the highlight of my week – and I love hearing about ideas for innovation that have come from their teams. I love understanding more about my team, and then seeking opportunities to support their development. I enjoy time in my own clinical practice, typically on the APP Urgent Care car as my clinical scope of role, though I’d like to do a little more primary or urgent care than I have time for at the moment! Related to this, I really believe you can’t be what you can’t see, so as a female senior clinician I’m really keen to ensure I am visible clinically in the organisation – my role is pan-London, so I try to get across the city as much as I can. Speaking of which, I LOVE the London Underground. I just think it’s a fantastic feat of engineering and I enjoy the days I need to get more than one tube to go somewhere. I’m also involved with our Trust’s Women’s Network. As with any senior role, I do spend time in meetings and I usually dedicate Thursdays as my ‘teams’ day – which is a necessary evil, but again still an opportunity to connect with colleagues across the organisation and our external partners. I’m also lucky to be able to continue research in my role, and I try to keep at least half a day a week to being innovative – either engaging with research or working with colleagues to undertake research related to the profession.

Being in a position to make a tangible change really motivates me – and making that change is so rewarding. Having the opportunity to work across different pillars of practice, being clinical practice, education, research, leadership and strategy is just really exciting. Ultimately, I think it’s how the combination of these pillars mean I can make a difference in the care we give to patients, and the support we can give to colleagues in the organisation to develop that really gets me out of bed each morning, and what I hold onto when I find things challenging.

Sometimes I put a lot of pressure on myself to be a good leader, and this can be challenging. I certainly feel the weight of being the senior clinician in a room who is expected to know all the answers and make the best decisions, whether that is in clinical practice or in the development of urgent care in the organisation. But I have learnt that whilst uncomfortable, being open, honest and humble helps foster support that means I don’t ever need to be on my own. I am pretty strict in maintaining a good work/life balance for myself – and am deliberate in carving out time with my friends, and focusing on my family when I’m not at work, and I think this is vital to have the mental well-being and resilience to turn a challenge into an opportunity to learn through experience.

I’ve done a lot of academic study in my career so far, with two Master’s degrees, a Post Graduate Certificate to Teach in Higher Education, a Practice Certificate in Non-Medical Prescribing, the NHS Leadership Rosalind Franklin programme and recently completing a PhD, I don’t have any formal plans just yet! Actually I’m just enjoying the opportunity to engage in professional and clinical conferences as a delegate, as well as clinically-focused CPD. We use Red Whale in my organisation, and so I’m enjoying engaging with this at my own pace, and then contributing to discussions about the content with colleagues. I’m still quite new to my current role, and I recognise that it’s important to be up to date with best evidence and clinical developments, so my immediate focus is on that. In the future, I may want to do something business related, as strategy is a component of my role that I’ve not had much formal education for in the past, so I’ll probably start looking for something to develop my business skills in the future.

The best advice I could share to seek out opportunity or take hold of the opportunities presented to you – this could be related to the profession, or from outside. Some of the most significant learning experiences I’ve had is from my involvement in Girlguiding UK – so not part of the profession at all! But I’ve been able to transfer these experiences to my roles in clinical practice, education and leadership – and back again to develop as a Guide leader!

I really do think that it’s an exciting time to be a paramedic, as the profession is evolving substantially – so whatever your professional interest, I think you can carve a path towards it. However, staying grounded is also important – the shifts may sometimes be long, but the years are short, so ensuring a good work/life balance to constantly refresh your resilience is vital to sustain a career in Paramedicine.