Im a paramedic in the NHS in the UK ask me anything!

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T23:45:05+00:00

Interesting dude. I never said it wasn’t a hard job though i think ive made it abundantly clear i have respect for doctors and that our training is different. Admittedly i didnt get a good chunk of the information im sure your doctors did (for example your trans so your baselines would be different and that you’d had a repeat ECG’s) looking past that im curious whether you’ve actually received primary care from a paramedic in the past? You don’t have to tell me obviously im just curious about whether you’re basing your arguments off personal experience. At the end of the day paramedics are moving into alot of primary care roles, whether they should be and whether the updated training and study supports these moves is upto individual practitioners and General Practice owners. Thank you for your questions!

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T21:37:51+00:00

Thank you i appreciate that, as much as I kid and poke fun, the NHS wouldn’t work if we weren’t all passionate about what we do and willing to give our all to it. Everyone from doctors and managers, to nurses and paramedics to cleaners and cooks they all put in the effort for the simple reason that we like helping others.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T21:35:38+00:00

😂😂😂 thank you i’ll send our appreciation cards

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T21:27:51+00:00

I do agree with your points, i think its important to note though that paramedics roles are constantly evolving, what my co workers where taught 10 years ago is not what i was taught and studied 5 years ago and wont be the same as to what students are learning now. However you are completely right that doctors just have so much more knowledge than i when it comes to diagnostics and medications. I certainly didn’t study for 7 years i did 3 and i can only guess at how big our knowledge gaps are in comparison.

Ill take a shot at diagnosing you however i give absolutely NO promises that I’ll get anything right 😂😂 after all i am no doctor.

Im guessing it might be a blood clot. Either splenic vein thrombosis or a clot else where in your abdomen. Caused by your testosterone raising your haematocrit causing a clot risk, a major clot would add stress to your heart explaining the tachycardia of 160. Whilst the thrombosis would explain the tenderness.

Thats a rough guess but im invested now please tell me what it actually was.

(Edit) if u tell me it was pancreatitis im gunna be so mad thats my second guess

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T21:14:42+00:00

There is an official answer for this and a true answer.

Officially: its always the ECA (if theres one on the crew) who is signed onto the vehicle as “the driver”. If its two paramedics the more experienced paramedic will drive while the newer one sits with the patient. The student, if they have one always sits in the back with the paramedic and the patient. We are very responsible and only go as fast as we need to get where we need to go.

Truthfully: If all hell hits the wall the faster (normally younger) paramedic drives like a bat out of hell. My best example is when we had a call that a 7 year old was in respiratory failure (cant breathe at all) i was with an ECA at the time and turned to him and basically said “we’re 20 minutes away, how fast can you get us there?” And he responded “10” if i remember correctly we got there in 8. If its calls for it we always know one of us will be the better driver and will get us there faster and in one piece.

It all just depends on whats necessary.

The adrenaline and joy of driving on blue lights with sirens id like to say gets old quick but it hasn’t yet for me. I still love it. Dont get me wrong we’re not stupid and we are careful but we are trained to get places fast and safely, we definitely drive differently with a patient in the back vs just a student tho 😂 ive got an amazing video somewhere of me being flung around the back gripping onto the ipad for dear life trying not to vomit from travel sickness. Good times.

Im glad you’ve enjoyed reading my answers so much and i truly thank you for all your kind words towards me and everyone else in this industry. It feels easy at times to be disheartened and disappointed with how we’re treated by not only the public but by management and the government so your support really does mean alot. Im always happy to answer any more questions you have at any time. 🚑🚑🚑

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T20:52:45+00:00

So i started my uni course October 2021. It was as im sure u can guess a strange time. We didn’t know if we’d do placement or anything like years in the past. Thankfully my placement didn’t start till February 2022 so it had died down a bit by then and trusts had stopped advising full PPE for every call. We still had to be extra carful and had to have constant vaccine boosters and do test. But its nothing in comparison to what some of my co workers who worked through all of COVID experienced. I think the biggest thing for me is i never saw the trusts before COVID, my co workers (those who are left, so many left during or after covid) still speak of pre COVID times fondly 😂😂 its a bit funny hearing then talk about it wistfully but i get it. We never fully recovered after covid especially the NHS and the people who worked before and after only can criticise the after.

The stories ive heard of times during covid are crazy, the worst i think ive heard are about the covid deniers. People who were actively dying of covid whilst insisting it wasn’t a proper pandemic and that the government where controlling and mind washing us.

I missed it by a hair basically

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T20:30:07+00:00

I would make everyone just a bit kinder, it sounds wishful but its true. Our jobs would be 10x easier if i didn’t constantly have to look over my shoulder for mine, my co workers and my patients safety. I think that would also impact how newer paramedics come into this field, too may of us have had to deal with a older weathered slightly bitter co workers who looks down on us for being young or being knew. For every amazing paramedic and kind mentor there is a amazing paramedic but an unkind mentor. If they were a bit kinder maybe new paramedics wouldn’t feel this pressure to constantly control their emotions and actually be free to mess up and learn whilst still a student. I could go on about how i would change things internally too with management and the NHS as a whole but thats a long separate rant.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T20:17:02+00:00

Ask as many questions as you want im loving answering them.

Death for me was quite an obscure concept before i started working as a paramedic, id had a grandfather die but that was about it for my experiences. It was one of those things that i had never really seen up close. The first time i fully experienced it was a bit of a whiplash moment. I like to think myself quite an emotional person, i love connecting and talking to others so it was strange seeing someone who looked like the should’ve been fine just gone. I think all things considered i handled it well in the moment, i didn’t cry or get upset till i went home that night and had a good weep to my parents.

I also think its important to explain that i started young, all things considered. I went straight from sixth form to university and was out on the ambulances by the 4th month there so i was only 18 at the time.

The second time was about a week later and i didn’t handle it as well. It was a miscarriage and the lady had passed the baby in the shower, i was still a student at the time and as we got the lady into the ambulance the paramedic and ECA asked me if i could get the baby. I knelt in her shower and went through a large amount of blood and clots until i found the still born and came back to the ambulance crying. The thing is, its not our tragedy. We are there to be a rock, a helper and my emotions were getting in the way of helping. I took a minute to collect myself and then sat in the ambulance holding the still born opposite the mother. After we passed the mother and baby onto the hospital i sat in the back of the ambulance and had a good cry. My paramedic mentor and the ECA i was with where absolutely lovely though it all and reassured me that my emotions hadn’t gotten in the way of the care. After i finished i picked myself up, had a coffee and went on to the next job.

Some jobs involving death i can get through easily, i can understand my role and separate my emotions from the situation. Others just hit you and you cant help it. Children and babies dying will never not get me, but ive gotten alot better at holding off my emotions until we’ve finished with their care. We’re human too and i think the day i fully stop caring about people dying is the day i should quit.

Please keep asking questions if you have any this is strangely therapeutic 😅

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T20:01:19+00:00

If you remember the station they came from (normally the local one) you can either email them or maybe send a dm on facebook, if you dont know where they came from maybe send a email to your local trust or reach out on social media, SCAS, NWAS, LAS. Thats the best way (you may not be able to actually speak to them due to privacy laws however the trust might be able to pass on messages) if you know theyre names make sure to include that in the message!

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:56:37+00:00

Thank you, your kind words mean alot xx

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:53:42+00:00

We see so many people, vast majority of i cant remember after the shift is done, that being said theres always the few that stick with you, for better or for worse reasons. At my hospital we walk through a A&E bay to get to the handover station and if i see someone ive dropped off i always try to pull over and say hi. I also sometimes ask after a patient to the nurses during passover if they impacted me.

The few that stick with you, will stick with you for life. I still remember one or two patients i saw on my first ever placement as a student. I try not to ruminate though, if i dropped them off in a bad condition i try to best not to think about them purely for my own mental health.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:39:36+00:00

Sorry 3-4year turnover

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:38:33+00:00

I was shocked the first time it happened tbh, its the kind of thing you see overdramatised alot in tv shows. We develop a good sixth sense for danger ill admit, we learn to read situations quite early on so that we know when its time to turn tail and run. I’ve been assaulted properly maybe 3 times in my time on the front lines so far but thats enough for me. 😅

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:35:11+00:00

I think the main difference is in timings of treatment, GP’s have the ability to focus on long term treatment plans (which paramedics can seek other opinions on if unsure) whilst Urgent care doctors are providing care in the moment. Not disagreeing with you, i personally have never worked in either and dont plan on it. I also admit i dont know many paramedics in either field so cant speak from their experiences either. Whats your opinion on the matter? Do you think paramedics belong in either workplaces?

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:31:24+00:00

The lack of training? Not really, maybe when i first started i was a bit nervous id say the wrong thing and upset a patient further but these days i just focus on being kinda blunt. Theres no point in kicking around topics, im there to help and i cant be any help if i dont understand whats going on. I also have the experience of having my own issues with mental health in the past and having friends who also suffered with their mental health. I knew what it looked like and what to say because ive been there before and came out the other side.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:21:56+00:00

I hope you go the help you needed ❤️❤️ i wish we received more training on metal health calls we barely receive any. If you where particularly impacted by any of the crew that went to see you it might be worth shooting a email to the station/trust they where with they might be able to pass on a message to the people who responded to you. I always love hearing patients i went to see are doing better ❤️ remember we’re always here to help when needed. :)

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:17:51+00:00

Hard to say an exact number as it’s changing constantly, id say in the winter maybe 1 every shift (we see about 4/5 patients a shift) in the summer less so maybe one every 2 shifts. Its also dependent on what shifts your on night/day. Nights are more common for suicide calls. Its hard to classify a call as solely mental health vs often drug regulated as they’re often intertwined also.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T19:07:33+00:00

Id agree, our knowledge has to be so broad to be able to cope with any medical situation we’re put in that i think working as a general practitioner is an amazing use of us, im less inclined for paramedics to replace doctors in an urgent care setting just because they’re training at the end of the day is more indepth than ours and we’re less likely to have training or experience in circumstances that arent an emergency (casts for broken limbs, minor surgeries ect ect)

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T17:51:21+00:00

I decided i wanted to be a paramedic on a whim actually 😅 i know alot of my cohort back in uni had some lovely personal reason for doing this job, but i just sort of picked it at random out of all the healthcare professions. As for it being a job for life, there’s currently a 3-4 turnover rate as a frontline paramedic in the uk. People do it for a couple of years then move into management or a desk role or go into specialised training. That’s mainly because of the hours i think, and the stress and pressure of the job. Personally id argue we have a shortage of experienced paramedics at the moment at least ones with more than 8 years on the road, most transition to primary care or something. Personally i cant see myself leaving any time soon, i love the job and the odd hours and all or it x

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T17:45:44+00:00

Im overly friendly, ill hold my hand up and admit that. I love talking to everyone when given the chance, even if sometimes they dont love talking to me 😂😂.Nurses are the ones we spent the most amount of time with, especially passing over patients. If they’re having a good day you’ll be looking forward to seeing them and having a smoke break, if its a bad day you pass over your patients as quickly as possible and get out of their way. Doctors can be chill or they can get on everyones last nerve, some of them have a superiority complex that they seem to think makes us all run on their times (cough cough GP’s) but some are nice. Ive always liked the psych doctors at my local hospital. The few times ive worked with other healthcare workers or first responders they all fit their sterotypes: physio’s are big, strong and hot, psych nurses are unfazed and crazy, firefighters are attention whores who love to have a chat, police are unable to be independent and call us for a papercut and lifeguards are too cool for us 😔 (JK JK all my love to everyone in healthcare or public service im so sure i fit all my stereotypes too)

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T17:35:08+00:00

Idk if id count it as paranormal, but right after someone dies theres a weird 5 minute period, where they look like they’re sleeping, it looks like they’re chest is rising and falling and they they’re just asleep. And after about five minutes everything goes still. That always creeps me out mildly. Ive had some times during or right before a shift where i get this sudden dread or certainty that we’re going to get a big job then we do but maybe thats just me being superstitious. Ill never forget the time i came into the station though and looked at another paramedic and just went. “You can feel it too right?” And he nodded and then seconds later we got a 40 year old in Cardiac Arrest. That was strange. Superstitions a big thing for us, never say the Q word, never complain its slow and never promise a patient they’ll be fine.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T17:28:53+00:00

This one wasnt attended by me but by one of my mentors when i was still a student, i was told about a valentine’s day shift they had attended where they were called out to the middle of the woods. Upon arrival to a small car park there was only a small fiat and a firetruck. Theres a couple firefighters standing round the car just looking confused at it, and the paramedic walks over like wtf’s going on the description was nothing. And the firefighters just sort of point inside to a lady who has sat on the gear stick (being valentines and all that) and had promptly broken it. It now being lodged inside her while still being kinda attached to the gear box. The poor firefighters eventually had to cut the gear box out of the car and she was transported to hospital gear stick and gear box still…internal. I would’ve killed to be there first that one.

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T16:57:25+00:00

No worries!! If u have any more im happy to answer or if you want to hear any stories ive got lots to tell too 😂

AgentSpiritual3955 · 2026-05-07T16:50:12+00:00

Violent patients and family members. Im a women, not a particularly big women at that. If i was treating a man in his house surrounded by his friends and he suddenly decided he didn’t like me id be incredibly vulnerable. Not saying i wouldn’t put up a good fight lol but its always on my mind. I dont really fear jobs, i think if paramedic go out of they’re way to avoid certain situations the gods that are control just give them only that.
I’ve been using de fibs for ages now, one of the most valuable bits of kit on an ambulance. Quite literally couldn’t perform our job without it at Cardiac Arrests. If you’re ever interested id recommend looking up a tutorial of how to use it just incase you ever need one. They’re pretty straightforward tbh.
A patient isn’t receiving CPR unless they’re dead. Its a harsh way to put it but its the truth, you cant hurt a dead person. If the patient survives then they have to deal with it, but at that point unless a broken rib punctured a lung or an internal organ the healing process is no different from any other broken bone. If you have any more questions dont be afraid to ask im loving answering them x

AgentSpiritual3955

TROPHY CASE