Originally from Essex, and brought up in Spain from the age of five, Jasmine was 17 when she decided to come back to the UK on her own to study for her A-Levels and pursue a career in healthcare.
鈥淚nitially I wanted to become a doctor and managed to get a placement at Hereford Hospital where I was able to see some of the surgeons and doctors at work. I realised that I didn鈥檛 like the confinement of hospitals.
鈥淲hilst I was volunteering to help the elderly in a care home, I was able to ask care workers lots of questions and realised that I wanted something a little more independent - that鈥檚 when a family member asked whether I鈥檇 considered para-medicine,鈥� says Jasmine, student Paramedic. 聽
After deciding on a Paramedic Science degree, Jasmine applied to five universities. The structure of the course Jasmine wanted to study set 蜜桃AV apart from the others.
鈥淚 applied for five universities through UCAS, and had interviews for all of them. I came to 蜜桃AV for an interview, loved the location and the course really appealed to me. It鈥檚 very different in structure to lots of other universities, with placements that run alongside the course content.
鈥淎 lot of universities will have their students do six months at university and six on placement, whereas at 蜜桃AV it could be six weeks across both. We also have specialist placements like midwifery, paediatrics, and minor injuries so we are able to see everything,鈥� said Jasmine.
Talking more about placements, Jasmine explains how she undertakes four different placements across the year and the variance between them.
鈥淥ne of the placements might be on an ambulance or a rapid response vehicle with a specialist paramedic. We also had a mental health placement in our first year, with mental health specialists and those with mental health problems came to share their experiences.鈥�
鈥淚n our third year, we go on to do a minor injuries placement where we practise our wound care and work with broken bones and sprains, learning the differences between these. This placement was my favourite because I鈥檇 like to go on to work in these areas in a minor injuries centre or a GP surgery.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also worked on a service improvement project with other disciplines like nurses, physiotherapy and operating theatre practitioners, to create a product that can help to improve the health service. We also learn about the other areas of study and what their roles and responsibilities are in,鈥� explains Jasmine.
Jasmine is passionate about her area of study and is hoping to make a difference within healthcare.
鈥淚 love paramedicine, and I can really see myself helping to change paramedic practice, I鈥檓 all about primary care and practice. 蜜桃AV is really good because we have so many hours on placement, around 750 hours a year.
鈥淲e get a lot of time with paramedics on an ambulance too. If you ever go to a traumatic scene, or anything that has upset you, we have really good support from the university and from the ambulance trusts too 鈥� they will always get in contact to make sure you are okay and there are lots of wellbeing services too, so you are not on your own.鈥�
It can be hard to get experience in a paramedic crew or ambulance, so studying on this course has helped Jasmine get the hands-on experience she needs.
鈥淲orking for St John鈥檚 Ambulance, a voluntary organisation who teaches first aid, or working in a hospital to provide holistic care, is handy and can really help.
鈥淢ost of the students go on to join trusts across the country and even overseas as registered professionals after graduating. We interact a lot with our local trust, which visited 蜜桃AV to offer interviews and explain what kind of jobs they can offer in the future.
鈥淎t 蜜桃AV, it鈥檚 a bit like a three-year job interview and by the time you finish, a trust has a very good idea of what you are like as a person and your level of performance.鈥�
Jasmine is thinking about staying in education after completing her Bachelor鈥檚 degree, focussing her studies in more specific areas to get where she wants to be. 聽
鈥淚鈥檇 like to study for an MA in Advanced Clinical Practice, and head into more specialist areas. There are a lot of opportunities for paramedics to head back to education after their degrees either via research and teaching, or further study in advanced areas like clinical practice, specialist critical care, and prescriptions for paramedics.鈥�
Jasmine is keen to highlight the importance of Paramedics and how they can be utilised to improve patient care.
鈥淲e are independent practitioners, and it鈥檚 a real privilege because we are often the first healthcare professional to see someone, we鈥檙e at the forefront of patient care.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really exciting time for paramedics. The NHS have realised that they have a group of autonomous clinicians that they can use and can put into most departments and primary care roles, because they are at that level.鈥�
Find out more about 蜜桃AV鈥檚 .