Holly
King

Why NTU?

Why did you choose to study a postgraduate degree?

"Having already completed a BSc degree I wanted to take the next step academically. Completing an MSc also opens up more opportunities in the future, for example working with Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) or going into advanced practice."

Why did you choose your course at NTU?

"NTU was one of only a handful offering the MSc Paramedic Science course. Nottingham is fairly local to where I live meaning I could stay at home during my study. NTU has a brand new clinical skills centre including virtual reality rooms giving scenarios a realistic edge."

What’s your experience been like of your course so far?

"So far being a small group of students we have all made firm friends. We are lucky also to have lecturers that are really approachable and happy to help. We have had guest speakers who come and discuss specific elements of the course.

I have particularly enjoyed an Electrocardiogram (ECG) day with a specialist teacher, and a block of maternity taught by a midwife, with great teaching and scenarios."

Have you been involved in any projects or extra-curricular activities that have supplemented your studies run through NTU?

"I am a course representative, ensuring that our voices as students are heard. We have meetings a few times per year to give feedback on how the course is being run and any problems we may be facing. This is also a great place to share the parts of the course we are enjoying."

What does Social Sciences mean to you?

"Working as a frontline service allows us to enter a person's life in their hour of need. It allows us to provide calm in an often-chaotic situation, and work with patients and their relatives to find the most appropriate outcome. Being a paramedic also involves problem-solving, as it can sometimes involve a complex extrication for example. It also makes for a great communicator as much of our work relies on teamwork with other teams such as police, the fire service, mountain rescue and other healthcare professionals in a variety of settings."

On Placement

Have you completed any work placements on your course?

"Our course is about 50% placement. Most of that time is spent with a practice educator working on the road as a frontline paramedic. I am based in Derbyshire and cover a vast area, which I really enjoy. I have enjoyed the opportunity to travel to places I may not have ever travelled to and enjoy coming to the aid of a patient in unusual circumstances or places, for example, a church or a farm.

I am a big animal lover and not only have I built a rapport with patients and their relatives but often with their pets too!

I really enjoy the diversity of placement and that not one day or morning is ever the same. I've also really enjoyed building friendships with not only my crew mates but those we meet on station or at the hospital."

Do you have any memorable moments from your placement?

"I've been lucky enough to have had a very varied placement. I've been part of multi-disciplinary training exercises working with fire and the police.

I was on placement during the jubilee period and had some fun seeing all the garden parties taking place."

Support

What do you think of the support available from tutors and staff at NTU?

"Tutors are available on Microsoft teams which works really well alongside emails.

We have the ability to book 1:1 or group tutorials surrounding written work, and around the time of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) assessments we have the ability to come and use the facilities for extra practice should we wish."

Outside of the Lecture Theatre

Did you find it easy to make friends and settle in at NTU?

"Being a small group it was easy to make friends with others on the course and we have our own Microsoft Teams group to help each other out with any problems we are facing. As a postgraduate course we don’t live on campus or in student accommodation so have a slightly different student experience but often enjoy going to eat together on campus."

The Next Steps

What’s next for you after NTU?

"After NTU I plan to be applying for a paramedic role in the local area."