Family and confidence the key to success for paramedic student

A Paramedic Science student has been reflecting on the impact of her mum in helping her become the first person in Scotland to be awarded a Young Scot Mentorship.

Second year student Kiera Willis was chosen from hundreds of students across the country to shadow the CEO of the Scottish Ambulance Service, Pauline Howie OBE.

Aimed at developing leadership skills in those aged 16-25, the Young Scot Mentorship provided the perfect platform for Kiera to develop her confidence, while also making her aware of future career options.

Here’s what she had to say:

Where did you interest in a career in healthcare come from?

“I wanted to work in healthcare from a very young age, I just knew I was a people person and that’s what I wanted to do. I initially wanted to be a midwife up until my mum joined the ambulance service, and it was helping her study that actually sparked my interest. I was about 12 years old, watching her write essays and hearing about her experiences – I just thought it was so cool! She’s been an ambulance technician for seven years and is going to qualify as a paramedic this year. We’ve actually been up at uni at the same time together, helping each other study.”

Tell me about how you first heard about this Young Scot Mentorship?

“It was on the Scottish Ambulance Service Facebook and they were advertising it on behalf of Young Scot. The post just said that there was a mentoring opportunity coming up with their Chief Executive, Pauline Howie. It was never specifically advertised to student paramedics, it was for anyone who wanted to have an insight into leadership. I was really interested in it and I just decided to go for it.”

What specifically appealed to you about it?

“The first thing was Pauline Howie - she’s obviously the Chief Executive of the place I want to work, so that was a massive part.

The whole leadership aspect appealed to me because I absolutely love this job. My knowledge is there but the confidence isn’t, so I was really interested in trying to seek out an opportunity to develop my confidence and it’s definitely done that. Ultimately, I would like to progress my career eventually from paramedic into some sort of management role, so I basically just wanted to find out a bit more.”

Sum up your feelings when you heard you’d been selected?

“I didn’t quite believe it to be honest, it was a bit terrifying! It’s an absolute privilege to be the first person picked for something like this. The programme is only going to get better and it’s a learning experience for everyone.”

How did the mentorship programme all work?

“I had three monthly meetings with Pauline, where I would ask her questions and ask advice on different things. We would talk about my course and how everything was going. I attended some Scottish Government meetings with her, so there was a lot of directors and clinical leads there who were really high up in healthcare and leadership. It’s been fabulous to meet these people as a student and feel totally respected by them.

I had a point of contact on Pauline’s team who I would get in touch with about anything I wanted to experience. I was lucky enough to visit the Ambulance Control Centre arranged and it was really interesting going there and experiencing leadership outwith an actual ambulance.”

What’s been the best thing about it?

“I would say the networking side, in terms of me stepping out my comfort zone and meeting all these people. I’ve been asking a lot of questions and had to be quite forthcoming in terms of communicating my ideas, which has been great. It’s not really in my nature and has been a massive thing for me to start doing, but I’ve absolutely loved it. “

Has it made you realise the career opportunities available to you as a student paramedic?

“Absolutely! I had no idea just how many roles were available; both operationally with patients and in terms of the management side of things. It’s incredible to have this insight and realise the amount of jobs out there available to me in the future.”

Would you encourage students to get experience outwith their classes?

“When it comes to extra opportunities, you just have to go for it! The worst thing that could happen in applying for something like this is you don’t get it. You’ll never know if you don’t try.

I love the course here at GCU but getting to do these extra things is amazing because it really tailors your experience and gives you opportunities to sell yourself and stand-out in the future.”

Finally, how does your mum feel about all of this?

“She’s so proud, it’s lovely! My mum’s my biggest fan. She was so pleased when I wanted to do the same job as her and she’d always say ‘no pressure, if you want to change your mind’ but I never have and I think she’s really pleased about that. We’re just excited for the day we get to work together!”

By Ross Clark               
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter