East of England Paramedics pass out!
Wednesday, 07 October, 2009
SAPS take to the road.
The ranks of ambulance crews have been boosted last month, when seventeen student ambulance paramedics took to the roads throughout the East of England
Ambulance Service.
The group were treated to a special presentation at Putnoe Heights Church in Bedford with their friends and families to mark the end of their 13-week course. Using the training and education centre in Bedford as a base, they were taught by course director Robert Grogan and paramedics Vikky Blackwell and Dave McClaggish.
The course covered several areas of work,
which included:
• Human anatomy and physiology
• Patient assessment
• Medical conditions and treatment
• Trauma management
• Maternity
• Basic and advanced life support techniques
and equipment
• Scene management
• Blue light driving
Commenting on the course, course director
Robert Grogan said:"Here the students
are subjected to non-stop medical and or
trauma scenarios, whilst utilising and
demonstrating equipment.There's also that
little added twist of 'get out of that one
then'! "We're extremely grateful for the
support we received from all those established members of staff, families and partners who gave their free time to assist the students during the course."
Robert concluded: "The course couldn't
have been the success it was without
everyone pulling together. I am sure the
new student paramedics will provide an excellent level of care for the people they will be called upon to help, well done guys".
Tracy Nicholls, Clinical General Manager
for the Beds & Herts localities presented
the students with their certificates and
thanked them and the training staff for
their efforts, she said: "It is essentially nearly four months of hard work for this group, and credit has to go to them to come through to the end and pass the course."
"The experienced tutors have given them
a fantastic foundation and when they go
out on the road they will be able to put
this in practice. I encourage them to keep
on learning, to not let their books gather
dust and to go out on the road ready to do
the best they can for patients."
The student paramedics are now working
with experienced members of staff for the
next 12 months while they put together an
extensive portfolio of cases. Only after
that has been examined and they have
completed final practical assessments will
they be fully qualified.
Nine of the students will be based within
the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire
localities and the other eight will be based in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
