Former Glenaeon employee and current fully qualified paramedic, Zoe Wheeler, came to teach and share with our students some practical aspects of her job on the road delivering first aid. It was a great first-hand experience for the students who have studied first aid and done some practical CPR in the classroom recently. Zoe spoke about the pathway to becoming a paramedic, what the job involves on a daily basis, with shift work of 4 days on/ 5 days off, and how she copes with the trauma and the things she sees as a first responder.

She also talked of the satisfaction in helping people in a time of urgent need, and about what sort of emergencies she gets called out to most often, chest pain. She also shared some lighter stories before students could ask many questions, which led to a deeper understanding as we spoke about mental health and the need for paramedics to look after their own mental health as they look after our communities often in very difficult or distressing circumstances.

Zoe then demonstrated some of her equipment, demonstrated COVID-19 safe practices, and students were allowed to ‘dress up’ in the protective equipment. Students learned how to safely use the stretcher, realised how tight the space inside the paramedic van actually is, and where and how equipment is stored.

It was a most valuable experience which all parties thoroughly enjoyed. We hope we can have Zoe back to teach our students next year!

#glenaeon #health #firstaid #paramedic #paramedicstudent #safety #emergencyservices @nswambulance #NationalVolunteerWeek2021 #thankyou