My first ambulance placement.

Source: BBC News

December 2025.

I parked my car, walked into the station and got changed in my new feeling student parammedic uniform. Compared to the ambulance greens, we stuck out like a sore thumb, but that did not matter.

My mentor arrived shortly after and I shook her hand before blending into the furniture whilst she chatted with other colleagues. I was doing my best to not pretend like I was thrilled to be there, as it was nothing short of another shift for themselves.

It was not before long that the first call came in… I thought to myself.

“What might it be? A cardiac arrest, a serious road traffic collision?”.

My mentor quickly informed me that it was a medical transfer, non-emergency (sometimes known as an AS2 in this ambulance profession).

After arriving on scene and having a quick discussion with patient and next of kin, we took the patient away in the ambulance to the local hospital.

Now I knew that the ‘stacking’ (waiting outside hospital for a bed) was bad, but I did not know it would be a 12 hour wait bad. Which it was.

A few tours of the hospital later and some chat with my mentor and the patient, my first shift was over. One patient, 12 hours, and an hours drive back home.