I have now been in position as ED paramedic for 4 months, 2 left to go.
My skill set is still rising and the role getting more defined.

Again the days are quite different depending on which consultant is on, but essentially I am selecting my own patients fro majors and minors. In minors I am trying to see patients that the nurse practitioners can't see, such as head injuries, collapses and more time consuming complexes jobs. This is because I review all my patients with a consultant and I am keen to.see as wide a variety of patients as possible.

In majors I feel the junior docs have the edge with more complex medical patients and I dong really pick up the eg. Collapses with loads of co morbidities. However I feel I can get through the traumas and eg cardiac patients quickly and efficiently.

I was told when I started it is a lot of pattern recognition. Definitely true! For example a chest pain requires immediate stabilisation and pain relief, clinical assessment, history taking, ECG, referral (generally) bloods, chest xray, review with consultant and clinical coding before they are taken up to the ward.

I have also been given my own patients in resus. Really satisfying. Slightly terrifying although it is something we do every day on the ambulances. Just slightly different In terms of taking and interpreting blood gases, bloods, xrays, urinalysis and clinical symptoms. Some of the people you refer to can also be a bit funny about taking a referal from a paramedic but that is entirely understandable due to the new role.

The lead consultant and I have started making plans to write up the role in the form of a clinical paper. Probably a reflection and we are also beginning to talk about a replacement.

Performed a femoral nerve block last week and decompressed a chest aspirating nearly 3 l of air the week before.

It's a good role.