Learning Through Stories

Job stress, dealing with danger, and managing EMS patients from pickup to hospital dropoff—These are just some of the timely topics covered by “The Student Paramedic Podcast.” Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify with a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, The Student Paramedic Podcast’s stated goal is to provide paramedic students with “first-hand accounts from the professionals about where the profession can take you, student accounts of what they wish they knew starting out, and stories about the transition from school to university, classroom to on-road and student to graduate.”

“The Student Paramedic Podcast was an idea created during the last 18 months of my university course: a podcast made by students for students,” said podcast producer Alexandra Mair, who is now an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency-registered paramedic/registered nurse and a Health and Care Professions Council (UK)-registered paramedic. “This original premise has evolved as I am no longer a formal university student and instead a newly qualified paramedic. However, ‘student' holds a different meaning for this podcast. No matter where we are on our journey in health care, we are all students.”

Why A Podcast?

Mair’s goal in launching The Student Paramedic Podcast three years ago was “to provide students and paramedics with the opportunity to learn through stories about where the paramedic profession could take them, how to maintain longevity in the job, and cultivate excellence in study and training.”

Mair chose the podcast format because COVID-19 restrictions resulted in a loss of continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities and in-person contact hours at her university. Downloadable podcasts are not affected by lockdown limits.

“As a student at the time, it was exciting and fascinating when your tutors/lecturers explained stories where they gained learning through mistakes or gave advice through extensive experience,” Mair explained. “It gave context to what was learned in a textbook or a lecture hall. So the idea to create CPD that I could share with peers and learn from the experience and stories of others was born.

“The main audience of this podcast is, of course, student and graduate/newly qualified paramedics,” she continued. “However, clinicians ranging from student nurses to experienced clinicians including nurses, paramedics and doctors have reached out about various episodes in which they have listened to and taken learnings from.”

A Wide Range of Possibilities

Over the course of three years, The Student Paramedic Podcast has dug into the many different career choices offered by paramedicine—much to its producer’s surprise.

“I had no idea all the places that a career in paramedicine could take you,” said Mair. “From humanitarian medicine to tactical medicine, to critical care, to research, to private medical services, to working overseas and in expedition medicine, the options are endless. I realized that my sights were only ever set on a state ambulance service as I had only ever envisioned a paramedic on an ambulance racing around town. When I began to research what was possible, I realized that this was something that had to be shared.”

An example of where the job can take paramedics and the opportunities available for students during their course is covered in season 3, episode 19, titled "Ride Along in the USA with Emily Grove and Maddy Cicala.” Australian paramedic students Grove and Cicala shared their student tour experiences in the United States, riding along with EMS crews and engaging in high-fidelity simulation experiences.

“This episode demonstrated to students the importance of taking on opportunities and asking, ‘what's the worst thing that could happen?’” Mair said. “This could be applied to applications for said experiences or jobs, or towards learning in the classroom when nerves get in the way of volunteering to run a scenario.”

Dealing with Stress

In recognition of the high levels of stress associated with EMS work, The Student Paramedic Podcast has devoted a number of its episodes to mental well-being.

An example is found in season 1, episode 12. Titled "Mental wellbeing," it features an interview with Todd Wehr, director of Queensland Ambulance Service’s Priority One psychological support service for EMS staff and their families.

“This was one of the first episodes delving into PTSD, post-traumatic growth, what occurs after experiencing a traumatic event and how to start looking after your mental well-being as a student,” said Mair. “There is an abundance of episodes that delve into maintaining positive mental well-being and developing resilience on the podcast.”

Case in point: Workplace stress is covered in the season 3, episode 17 podcast “Stressed on your way to a job? How training and preparedness go hand in hand with Andy Bell,” season 3, episode 11 “Resilience, stress and imposter syndrome with Dr. Dan Pronk,” and season 3, episode 1 “A new vision for decision making with Andy Bell and Dr. Matt Stainer.”

“These episodes delve into how stress impacts performance, decision-making and health, and how stress inoculation training can improve performance,” Mair said. “Basically, we encourage students to utilize their training and clinical scenario work to develop their skills under pressure.”

Positive Feedback

According to Mair, listener response to The Student Paramedic Podcast “has been overwhelmingly positive. I didn't realize how popular it would become, with a global reach and more downloads than I thought this little niche podcast would generate. Experienced paramedics have reached out to guests to let them know that they resonated with a comment that they mentioned on the podcast, and it resulted in a positive outcome in their clinical approach. Students have reached out stating that they have now been on the USA student tours with Australia EMS due to having heard about them through an episode. There are so many positive messages that make it worth continuing it.”

Producing the podcast has also been a positive for Mair personally. “It has given me inspiration into what I want my career to look like and where I would like it to take me without any limitations,” she said. “I've had the opportunity to engage in research activities, work in different areas of paramedicine, mentor and educate colleagues, nurture my love for learning, and network with inspiring and experienced clinicians across the world.”

As for the future? “2023 looks to be an exciting year for The Student Paramedic Podcast as it continues growing,” said Mair. “There will be more podcast episodes produced, and I'd love to begin creating CPD events. There are a few things in the works, and we'll see what happens.”

James Careless is a frequent contributor to EMS World.