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Student paramedics work to ease trauma
They’ve braved emergencies from Cyclone Yasi to car accidents and treated hundreds of sick patients from Cairns to Deception Bay, but four University of the Sunshine Coast student paramedics know they’ve picked their ideal careers.
Bec Lostroh, 21, now stationed at Cairns; Tarah Puller, 21, stationed at Mossman; Yaroomba’s Jack Williams, 20, now working at Deception Bay; and Kuluin’s Emma McKenzie, 20, have been astounded and rewarded by their experiences in the past year.
Bec, Tarah and Jack moved to Cairns early last year on special 12-month paid internships as part of their USC Paramedic Science degree.
Bec, who remains working in Cairns while she finishes her last subject via the internet, bunkered down in Edmonton ambulance station as Cyclone Yasi crossed near Mission Beach on 3 February.
“It was my first cyclone, and very intense in an emergency service sense, but Cairns was very lucky with not much structural damage to buildings,” she said.
“Things were hectic before and after, with both hospitals evacuated, so we had to be organised and work long shifts. Everyone pitched in and we got it done.”
“We didn’t get any damage near Edmonton station and we had our own power generator. But the next morning was very busy tending to calls that had built up, mostly treating and transferring people with chronic medical conditions.”
Tarah this week started a permanent job at Mossman station after passing her Queensland Ambulance Service panel assessment following completion of her University degree.
“It’s amazing to be part of the first cohort of Paramedic Science graduates at USC,” she said.
Tarah, who moved from Maryborough to study at Sippy Downs, said she enjoyed the strong rapport with lecturers and gained extra skills by participating in a mentoring group and a study group with fellow student paramedics living in her accommodation.
“My degree really helped when I worked a 17-hour shift in Cairns during the cyclone,” she said. “I used the knowledge to work out patient treatments, ongoing care and timeframes while we were on the tarmac.”
She said it was an incredible and emotional experience to evacuate hundreds of critically ill patients from the hospitals on to huge RAAF Hercules planes.
Jack is another new graduate of USC’s first Paramedic Science program and now works as a qualified paramedic at Deception Bay.
“It’s a different ball game now,” he said. “I have a lot more responsibility in making decisions and the challenge is to communicate effectively with all patients, from the elderly and frail to intoxicated people.
“The majority of my job is helping people with chronic health problems. I attend serious car accidents or traumas maybe once a month.”
Jack said he gained a lot from the close-knit relationships with lecturers and mentors at USC and the advanced equipment available. “It set me up with a good grounding in a pre-hospital care environment,” he said.
Emma, who is back on campus at Sippy Downs to finish several subjects, said she gained incredible hands-on experience during her six-week placement at Maroochydore station.
“As a student I was involved in training scenarios and went out on jobs as part of rotations,” she said.
“It was during the busy festive period with lots of traffic and wet weather leading up to Christmas so we didn’t get much rest at night. We also worked with the police around nightclub precincts and treated patients at the cells.”
– Julie Gatehouse