PARAMEDIC | ABBEY HEAGREN

DON’T GIVE UP IF YOU DON’T FINISH SCHOOL OR GET EXCELLENCE MARKS. THE KEY THINGS ARE MOTIVATION AND DRIVE.

ABBEY HEAGREN

PARAMEDIC

SPECIALIST INSAVING LIVES

writer PETER WHITE photo ALAN STEVENS CAREERINCRITICAL CARE

“It is definitely a dream job for me,” says ABBEY HEAGREN. The 27-year-old is an intensive care paramedic for St John Ambulance Service and is based in Tauranga. Her job title is senior clinical support officer, which is within the clinical development team. Abbey is a specialist in critical care, giving advanced treatment to critically unwell and injured patients. She also provides medical assistance to other ambulance staff. “When someone calls for backup, someone of my skill level will be sent to them for the more complex cases,” she says. “I have climbed the top of the ATP (authority to practice) chain. The only step I need to do now is to finish two more university papers and then I can be called a critical care paramedic.” Interacting with people is one of the things Abbey loves most about the job. “Even though I have specialist knowledge and love doing the more acute work and saving people’s lives, I also like being able to communicate with people in the community and make community plans to avoid hospital admission. “I just like working with people – old, young and from different life paths.” Abbey went to St Peter’s School in Cambridge where she took English, Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Photography and Computer Studies in her final Year 12. She knew she wanted a career in health care but at school was not sure what path to follow. Abbey began doing volunteer work for St John before gaining a National Diploma in Ambulance Practice, which qualified her to get into university to study paramedicine. The diploma also enabled her to complete her Bachelor of Health Science majoring in Paramedicine from AUT University in half the normal time. Abbey says she enjoyed studying for the diploma as it was a different way of learning for her. “It wasn’t restricted but I also had to have quite a lot of self-motivation to complete what I needed to be completed within the deadlines. “I finished my degree in 2015 and worked fulltime for St John in my last year of study. That led on to a paramedic job at the beginning of 2016.” Abby says there are good career opportunities with St John for school leavers to consider, as well as other pathways. “It is not just St John we can work for. I think eventually we will be able to work for medical centres and cross into other areas of health.” Abbey wants to encourage students not to be put off if they do not have the best grades. “You don’t have to be extremely academically smart to go to university. I am a little bit dyslexic and I have managed to get through university and my career so far without doing Year 13. “So don’t give up if you don’t finish school or get Excellence marks. The key things are motivation and drive – [they] are really important in getting into this career or any career.”

KEY FACTS

■ ABBEY HEAGREN IS AN INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDIC FOR ST JOHN

AMBULANCE SERVICE IN TAURANGA. ■ SHE HAS A NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN AMBULANCE PRACTICE AND A BACHELOR

OF HEALTH SCIENCE MAJORING IN PARAMEDICINE FROM AUT UNIVERSITY. ■ ABBEY STUDIED ENGLISH, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, MATHS, PHOTOGRAPHY

AND COMPUTER STUDIES IN YEAR 12. For more information on careers with St John, visit

https://join.stjohn.org.nz/ ambulance-careers/home

For more information on studying at AUT visit, www.aut.ac.nz