Secondment is a great two-way street

Hannah Caon (BParamedicSc ’14) and Sarah Rech (BParamedicSc ’15)

When SA Ambulance Service on-road paramedics Sarah Rech (BParamedicSc ’15) and Hannah Caon (BParamedicSc ’14) returned to Flinders as tutors, they got more than they bargained for.

While students have always benefitted from the clinical skills and on-road perspective that working paramedic tutors provide, this year Flinders entered into an arrangement with SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) to release two on-road paramedics each semester to take up five month fixed-term teaching appointments with the Paramedic Degree. ‘Teaching across all clinical topics and year levels allows us to provide consistency, as well as keep up with students’ development and the stage that each student is expected to be at,’ says Hannah, who understands the importance of helping students transition to the workforce.

‘Lateral thinking is one of the key things that ambulance services look for when they’re selecting staff. You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you don’t have that actual practical thinking, you struggle to apply that knowledge to such a dynamic role.’

When Hannah, who works with an ambulance crew in southern Adelaide, and Sarah, who works in the north, signed up for the roles last year, they were not expecting the transformation that the COVID-19 pandemic would bring. ‘The switch to online teaching posed a significant challenge for us in terms of content delivery, especially as the paramedicine degree involves such a large amount of practical teaching, and introduces many specialised devices and techniques,’ says Hannah. They seized the opportunity to convert the usual in-class clinical demonstrations into more than 30 detailed videos for students at all year levels. For Hannah and Sarah the secondment provided an alternative professional development opportunity. Both acknowledge the demanding and unpredictable nature of the paramedic role, and see benefits in growing their knowledge base and expanding their future career opportunities by diversifying their skill set. Looking to the future, Hannah is interested in exploring academic roles in SA and at interstate universities. Sarah, who spent eight months last year working as a relieving clinical instructor in SAAS, enjoys teaching and mentoring, and is contemplating a leadership pathway. Hannah and Sarah both agree that it is a privilege to be a paramedic. They will return to SAAS bringing new perspectives to their on-road jobs.

‘The trust that the community places in us allows us to help them in their times of need. It is such a dynamic job - you can go from being at a roadside motor vehicle accident, to sitting in a home providing comfort and reassurance to an elderly patient.’ Sarah Rech

‘Paramedicine offers real job satisfaction as well as constant problem solving and clinical challenges. On the other side, it takes a significant amount of personal sacrifice, like missing out on social and family milestones. It’s definitely a lifestyle choice, and takes an emotional toll — but ask any of us, we love our job!’ Hannah Caon