To many people the green uniform is a symbol of hope and safety. For many you are a growing light in overwhelming darkness, just the smile on your face or the touch of your hand can reach people in unimaginable ways, giving reassurance that no matter how bad things seem, you are here now, and you will do your very best to help.

The world of the front-line family is a tough yet rewarding one, as paramedic’s you will attend calls from anything from elderly fallers, to RTC’S (road traffic collisions), to house hold accidents, unwell children and adults, social jobs, and mental health jobs. Though some jobs may feel the same the people we meet are all individual and all need your professionalism, empathy and even your guidance. 

Many of us feel so privileged and honoured to wear the uniform that means so much to so many. And I am one of them, my name is Lou and I am a 1^st year student paramedic at Bournemouth University (BU) studying BSc (Hon) Paramedic Science.

My course is 3 years long and what a journey it has been so far, I’m a mature student so I am over the age of 21, and so far, university life has been great, I’m not one for partying but SUBU (student union Bournemouth Uni) are great at arranging various events and keeping us entertained. My course lecturers are hilarious, very knowledgeable and very approachable.They are all previously serving or currently serving front line paramedic who have worked in different countries, in different areas, all with a great passion for the course and role of a paramedic. They make a sometimes-daunting subject extremely enjoyable and interesting, relating many situations back to their own front-line experience, telling us funny, relatable stories, all with great humour to keep us on track and learning.

They understand that not everyone learns in the same way, everyone is different and not everyone has had the same experience prior to the start of the course, and they take this very seriously. Our learning, assessment, and coursework is broken up into, essays, group work, presentations, practical and written exams. I have 4/5 days in uni, Monday and Tuesday are lectures days that run from 9am-4pm (trust me that’s not as bad as it sounds) with 1 hour for lunch. On these days we learn the theory side of the core units. Wednesday is a SML (self-managed learning) day where we can catch up on assignments, group work, presentations, or practice what we learnt in the skills labs. Thursday/Friday are skills (practical) days where we put into practice everything we learnt on Monday and Tuesday with the guidance and help of our lecturers. They understand this course is not an easy one but if a student’s passion and willingness to learn is expressed they will match it with their own compassion and enthusiasm. You reap what you sew.

Our time on placement has been amazing and everyone is enjoying it. Our mentors are all Qualified paramedics who have volunteered to coach us into becoming autonomous HCP (health care professionals). The support network of the trusts, colleagues and peers is amazing, and no one ever feels alone or ‘in the way’ all my peers are enjoying themselves.  I am so glad to have chosen BU for this challenging yet amazing journey, I wanted a University that would put me and my career first and I know I have made the right decision choosing BU. This is where I belong, this is where you could belong. #BelongatBU