Katie explained that she chose the University of Greenwich because of recommendations from people that she knew. She also did a lot of research about the other local universities and as a result, the University of Greenwich stood out to her as the best option.
“The university has really exceeded my expectations.” Katie told us. “Joining during the 2020 pandemic, I wasn’t really holding my hopes up about being able to attend the university campus that much. However, we have still been able to attend multiple times a week, enabling us to learn the vital skills needed to become a paramedic. I really enjoyed the skills sessions, as we were able to attend campus and meet our peers in person instead of only seeing a name tag on our online meetings. We also get to practice the skills that we need for placement in person instead of just watching a video, which I initially had expected due to lockdown.”
Due to the pandemic, most of Katie’s lectures have been online. “The lecturers have really been incredible and have still been supportive even though they are working remotely. I also find it useful that lectures are pre-recorded. This enables me to watch them multiple times if I don’t understand something, and I can also pause the videos to be able to write up notes in my own time.” Katie explained “The lecturers are amazing and are always only an email away; they reply quickly and in depth, so if I don’t understand something, there is not a long anxious wait for a reply.”
Katie says being on placement is her favourite part of whole course. “I love being able to meet paramedics who have also studied at Greenwich and hear what they have to say about how they found the course.” Katie revealed. “Having ambulance placements means that I am able to use the skills that I was taught in the skills labs on real patients; for example, CPR on a mannequin is completely different compared with a patient.” Katie goes onto say “My first cardiac arrest was so daunting. I was completely flooded with adrenaline and was putting all the skills I knew into practice so quickly. There was no time to stand around discussing options calmly at all. I was so proud of the way in which I had conducted myself and really enjoyed the teamwork that myself and my colleagues performed that day.”
Katie explained that as well ambulance placements, there are also non-ambulance placements. These placements are to help students to have a broader understanding of various medical scenarios and allow them to practice skills which they may not see on the roads that often. These range from a placement within a delivery suit assisting midwives to theatres where we may be required to manage a patient's airway.
When we asked Katie about her peers at Greenwich, she told us “I have made so many friends during the two years that I have been studying at Greenwich. Their friendship is invaluable; they really have been the most supportive people around me during my degree, as they understand the challenges of deadlines, difficult jobs, shift work, unsociable hours and the worries of whether they are good enough.” Katie goes onto say “I have met a number of people who are in different cohorts to me whilst out on placement. I have really enjoyed talking about the challenges that we students have faced. Although we are all doing the same course, we are at different stages so, therefore, we can give advice to each other, as well as emotional support to one another.”
The second-year student also told us about how much she has grown as a person since studying at Greenwich. “When I started this course, I was so shy. I was 18 years old and had just left sixth form at the school that I had been at since I was 11. I felt sociably awkward with people that I didn’t know and struggled to talk to strangers; for example, I wouldn’t even phone the doctors for myself. And yet almost two years into my course, I am feeling like a different person. I feel that I have learnt so much more about myself as a person and I have learnt to be proud of who I am, and I can recognise everything that I have so far achieved I deserve. I had little life experience before starting university, however after two years I have seen and learnt so much.”
Lastly, we asked Katie if she would recommend the BSc Hons Paramedic Science programme. “I would highly recommend the University of Greenwich to anyone who wants to become a paramedic.” she replied “It has surpassed all of my expectations that I initially had when I applied. I feel so supported by all the staff members and my peers. I would not be the person that I am today without working with the people that I have done."
We thank Katie for sharing her story and wish her all the best for the future!
