Air Ambulance Advanced Practitioner in Critical Care, Vicki Brown, breaks barriers
Vicki Brown, Advanced Practitioner in Critical • Care at Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, has become the first person in the country to get on the Faculty of Pre Hospital Care (FPHC) Register of Consultant (Level 8) Practitioners by qualifying from a purely, para- • medic background. She is also the first female paramedic on the list This is an amazing achievement for Vicki and is a wonderful recognition of years of hard work and expertise. This is also a big achievement for the paramedic profession and is great for Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC). Its crew’s capabilities and combined experience as a team are constantly growing and evolving, meaning the best possible care can be delivered to patients. Vicki joins GWAAC Drs Matt Campbell, Matt Thomas, and Cosmo Scurr on the very short list of people qualified. Other doctors, who completed their training with GWAAC, are also on the register. Since the first registration in 2015, there are only 70 individuals on the list. Just 20% of these are female, which makes Vicki’s achievement even more unique. Vicki’s ambitions and desire to be the best she can be in her profession, is helping GWAAC meet two strategic objectives: 38
To act Locally to provide an excellent and innovative Pre-Hospital Emergency Care service that supplements and supports NHS services To impact Nationally and Influence Globally by improving Pre-Hospital Emergency Care for the benefit of all patients, identifying effective interventions, promoting good practice, and developing innovative new approaches
On a local level, Vicki is delivering first-class pre-hospital care to patients wherever they are and whenever they need it. And on a national level, her ground-breaking achievement of being the first to qualify with a purely paramedic background, and being the first female paramedic on the register, means she will be an inspiration to other paramedics up and down the country. After achieving the Diploma in Immediate Care, Vicki spent a few years going through the process of providing evidence to the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of her experience and knowledge. This culminated in submitting portfolios of clinical and operational experience, and attending an interview.
