Changing Lives Podcast

Paramedics are some of the most unique and surprisingly fascinating individuals you’ll ever meet. Their journey begins with a drive to understand and help. They experience humanity at their best and worst times and develop empathy for those from all walks of life. They thrive under pressure and through necessity learn how to deal with physical, mental and emotional stresses, and often overcome personal challenges in creative and sometimes extreme or even quirky ways!

Our guest for this episode, paramedic clinical educator and APC Trainer, Joe Karlek, is a perfect example.

Joe grew up in the UK, where he studied and became a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service, before moving to Australia to operate a private paramedic practice and service professional athletes, the NRL and Warner Bros Studios.

For the last 5 years, Joe was a lecturer of paramedicine at the University of Tasmania, before joining the training team at Australian Paramedical College.

Joe is also autistic and in this interview, he discusses how he has had to stare down personal challenges and find a way to use them to his advantage. He says being a paramedic and an educator are a few of his superpowers, along with skydiving and mindfulness, which he credits as giving him an edge as a practitioner and educator.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Life in the London Ambulance Service
  
• The crossover skills of skydiving and paramedicine
  
• Joe’s passion for the art of teaching
  
• Importance of structure and calm in emergency medicine
  
• Being a paramedic with autism
  
• What mindfulness is and its power and potential for emergency health care workers
  
• And much more!
  

We trust you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and if so, please like it, rate it, write a comment or review and share it with a friend.

This Podcast is brought to you by the Australian Paramedical College – a leading provider of Emergency Health Care Training in Australia.

Find out more here: www.apcollege.edu.au/?utm_source=podcast

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From the ambulance station, the event arena, to the extreme remote areas of outback Australia, careers in emergency health care would have to be one of the most diverse of any industry.  

In this episode of the podcast, we interview Terry Urquhart - a business owner, entrepreneur and remote area paramedic, who alongside his wife Janet, operate Rescue-1, their family-owned training and medical services business based in Townsville, North Queensland.  

For 20 years, Rescue-1 have offered first aid and WHS training and pioneered a highly specialized remote health and medical emergency service for remote workforces, including many of Australia’s largest mining exploration and infrastructure projects.  

In this episode, Terry opens up the world of remote paramedicine, the growing demand for providers and jobs, and how the sector has evolved over the last few decades to serve as the highest safety authority for remote workforces.  

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: 

• The multifaceted role of a Remote Area Paramedic 

• Providing health prevention vs emergency response services 

• The story of the “Pipeline Paramedics” 

• Resilience and why it’s critical to know how to change a tyre 

• The importance of “family” in the service, and the short phone call that changed the course of Terry’s career 

• The interstate three-tiered cake! 

• How Terry invented the widely successful “Rescue Bandage” 

• And more!  

Paramedics of Terry’s experience and caliber are a very small count, which is why anyone who wants to learn more about the different career paths that emergency health care can provide, will not want to miss this fascinating discussion.  

We trust you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and if so, please like it, rate it, write a comment or review and share it with a friend.  

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This Podcast is brought to you by the Australian Paramedical College – a leading provider of Emergency Health Care Training in Australia.   

Find out more here: www.apcollege.edu.au/?utm_source=podcast  

Not sure you have what it takes to become a Remote Area Paramedic? Get your personalised career development plan here: https://apcollege.edu.au/paramedic-quiz-1.php/?ref=podcast 

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If you are doubting whether gaining a health care qualification is going to open up career opportunities for you, then you can’t miss this episode!

Today, our special guest on the Changing Lives Podcast is Acting Executive Officer, Director of Nursing for NSW Health at Murwillumbah District Hospital, Michelle Havell.

For 18 years, Michelle has served in Health Service Management in hospitals and on large-scale projects such as Gold Coast University Hospital build and the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Michelle is also a nursing student mentor at Griffith University, a published author and just this year became an Associate Fellow- Australasian College of Health Service Managers.

In this episode, you’ll witness Michelle’s passion for safe and effective health care practice as she talks from experience about leading health care teams both in and out-of-hospital, including responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

· The significance of the health care role in our communities

· Leadership and management roles within health services

· How COVID caught the health care sector off-guard and what had to change

· In-hospital vs. out-of-hospital health – what are the key differences?

· The excitement and controversy of managing health services at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

· The best attributes of a health care professional

· The importance of finding and maintaining your purpose as a health care worker

· And more!

We trust you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and if so, please like it, rate it, write a comment or review and share it with a friend.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Paramedical College - a leading provider of Emergency Health Care training. 

Paramedic Pathways - Australian Paramedical College (apcollege.edu.au)

In this rapidly changing world, mental health and mental illness is becoming more common to deal with as health care providers. On the other hand, due to the nature of our work, we are also at risk of experiencing mental health conditions ourselves.

In the world of mental health first aid, there are very few more experienced and passionate than our guest in this episode, Angela Driscoll.

For over two decades, Angela has coordinated the Chill Out Zone - a world-first late-night support service in the heart of Gold Coast’s nightlife precincts - Surfer’s Paradise and Broadbeach.

With a background in special education for young people with behavioral disorders and family support work with young offenders, Angela leads a team from sunset until sunrise that provides a safe respite from the nightlife including attending to exhaustion, conflict, mental health episodes, first aid emergencies, and drug intoxication and overdose.

In this episode, Angela reveals why mental health is EVERYONE’s concern, and that just like your physical health, you need to be proactive now more than ever about keeping in good mental shape, especially if you’re a health care worker.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

· What fuels Angela’s 20+ year passion for front line mental health support work

· What mental health is (and isn’t)

· What’s contributing to the growing prevalence of mental illness

· Mental health risk factors for health care workers

· The warning signs for both patient AND professional

· Best techniques to respond to mental health episodes

· The surprising best practices to maintain good mental health

· And more!

We’re sure you’ll agree, it’s courageous conversations like this one that contribute to the eroding of the long-standing stigma of mental health and illness, so that we can better support each other and our communities to acknowledge and combat mental illness.

We trust you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and if so, please like it, rate it, write a comment or review and share it with a friend.

If you’re wanting a long and rewarding career in health care, it is critical that you learn how to look after your physical health so that your body can hold up as long as your passion for helping others.

In this episode of the Changing Lives Podcast, we talk with Senior Physiotherapist, Erin Moss about how paramedics, health care professionals and emergency workers can protect themselves and their patients, from physical injury and get the most out of their career.

In 2012 Erin attained a Bachelor of Exercise Science and Bachelor of Physiotherapy with Honours. Her Honours research focused on identifying risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in athletes.

Erin is now managing partner at Allsports Physiotherapy, located just around the corner from Gold Coast’s largest hospital and emergency department. As a consequence, Erin sees a large number of health care workers and has unique insight into the risk factors for injury of those working in the industry.

TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Erin passion for health care and supporting health care workers
  
• Common injures for health care workers
  
• The leading risk factors for injury in this industry
  
• Common manual handling tasks that can lead to injury
  
• The best simple exercises you can start doing today without equipment that will minimize your risk of injury and support a long healthy career
  
• How best to attend to patients with physical injury to support recovery
  

We trust you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and if so, please like it, rate it, write a comment or review and share it with a friend.

This episode was brought to you by the Australian Paramedical College - a leading provider of Emergency Health Care training.

Paramedic Pathways - Australian Paramedical College (apcollege.edu.au)

Welcome to Season 2 of the Podcast! In episode 1 of this new season, we were extremely fortunate to sit down with Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) and paramedic student mentor, Ricky Smyth.

As well as getting an insight into the role of a CCP, you’ll hear Ricky’s unique and invaluable perspective on the paramedic service and common challenges for those starting out in their emergency health care career.

In his 30+ years in the field and on the road, Ricky has seen and done it all... and we mean ALL! Some of his past and present roles include:

• Single Responder Paramedic
• Various Station Office in charge roles
• Peer Support Officer (of 20 years)
• Medic in the Royal Australia Navy
• Mentor to Critical Care Paramedic interns, paramedic students and graduates
• University lecturer and sessional tutor
  

Despite his extensive resume (which also includes being awarded “Qld Paramedic of the Year” in 2001), he is refreshingly humble, which makes listening to Ricky all the more enjoyable.

In Ricky's words, “I'm just a monk, you know, I'm just doing my thing. Just being a humble, sort of, old servant doing my bit. That's how I see myself now is just, I really enjoy, you know, tutoring, mentoring, sharing my knowledge. Working with a partner, having a good laugh during the day, helping people, um, and going whichever way they want me to go.”

TOPICS WE COVER INCLUDE:

• Ricky’s career journey from Navy Medic at 15 years of age
• Joining the state ambulance service in the 90s (with a tackle box!)
• A day in the life of a CCP
• Successful off-duty delivery of a neighbour’s twin breech birth
• Mental health for paramedics
• The paramedic’s kryptonite
• Ricky’s mantra of “No one dies in pain; No one dies afraid; No one dies alone”
• Death and being there for a stranger in their final moments
• The role of Peer Support Officer
• What makes a great paramedic
• Ricky’s best advice for those starting out in their paramedic career (with a surprising answer)

We trust you enjoy this episode as much as we did, and if so, please like it, rate it, write a comment or review and share it with a friend.

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The Changing Lives Podcast is brought to you by Australian Paramedical College. 

Get your free personalised Health Care Career Development Plan now at >>> https://apcollege.edu.au 

This episode we get to share the joy and journey of Australian Paramedical College Diploma graduate Rachael Rose, who left a well paying corporate career to follow her passion to be a paramedic and is now three months into the trainee paramedic role with the NSW Ambulance Service.

It's a great success story and in the interview you'll not only be inspired to follow your dream, but also learn about the whole process from diploma, to bachelor degree, to applying and training with the State Ambulance Service in Australia.

Rachael also shares some wisdom from reflecting on her journey, in particular, how the experience of work placement in a rural area made her rethink what she really wanted, even giving her the confidence to turn down a high paying job offer to work as an emergency services officer in the mines.

IN THIS EPISODE:

✅ What is the role of Trainee Paramedic

✅ The call up to be a State Paramedic

✅ What to expect when applying for the State Ambulance Service

✅ The recruitment, training and interview process

✅ How the Diploma with APC provided the perfect start point for Rachael's new career path

✅ The benefits of varied experiences for placement

✅ Harnessing your curiosity to find your passion and keep motivated

We really hope you enjoy this episode and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT AND SHARE!

Our guest on the show is Caleb Love, a practicing on-road paramedic, father of three and owner and operator of "Mr Paramedic" - which provides first aid and emergency training, medical supplies and event medical services across Australia. 

After Without any formal business training, Caleb has built his multi-service business by filling the need he saw as a working paramedic, in educating and equipping the community to respond more effectively to medical emergencies.

Youngest of eight kids, Caleb dreamed of being a paramedic as a teenager but was told he was too young to pursue it.

So he became a registered nurse but never took his mind off his ultimate goal.

Caleb completing a bridging course and soon landed a job in the state ambulance service.

He shares some stories of significant moments from his career journey, from his first cardiac arrest call out and to losing a patient, that inspired him to want to be an community educator and mentor for paramedic students.

Caleb is a great example of the diversity of career opportunities in field of emergency health care and how he has designed a career around his skills, passion, family and financial goals.  We really hope you enjoy this episode and PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW this episode, and share it with a friend who might be interested.

To find out more about Caleb's business "Mr Paramedic" and it's many services and initiatives including the Student Save Lives Incursion and EVERy Minute Matters, go to: https://www.mrparamedic.com.au/

In this second instalment of our interview with Qld Ambulance Service Advanced Care Paramedic, Jamie Hibbert, we get a little personal. As a devoted family man of four kids, he reveals the challenges of the job, as well as the lessons and hacks he’s learnt along the way to ensure his personal life does not spiral our of control & his family needs are also met.  

Humour, in particular dark humour, has also helped him to navigate the emotional impact of being a frontline emergency healthcare worker. In fact, over the years, Jamie noticed a trend amongst his colleagues in the use of dark humour amongst paramedics and has since taken an academic interest in the phenomena and writing multiple articles on the subject that have been published in industry journals.  

In addition to discussing dark humour and highlighting his plethora of “dad jokes”, we enjoy some banter surrounding his love of Star Wars and the philosophy of “the Force”, sprinkled with his character impersonations for good measure.   

We hope you enjoy this episode of Changing Lives, brought to you by Australian Paramedical College.

If you thought there was only one type of paramedic, or that all emergency was high pressure flashing lights and sirens, think again. 

This episode of Changing Lives is the first of a two part interview with Advanced Care Paramedic, Jamie Hibbert. 

Jamie currently operates with an extended scope as a Local Area Response Unit (LARU) Officer for the Queensland Ambulance Service.  He works solo, responding to low acuity cases and loves how the role provides him more time with patients and more options for both assessment and referral. 

In this episode you'll learn about the range different roles with the ambulance service and an in depth insight into the role of a LARU officer, and why it could be a great match for your skill set, particularly if you're a people-oriented person, with attention to detail and who loves a bit of detective work.  Jamie also has an inspiring career story and mature perspective to glean from for anyone interested in becoming a paramedic or being a better one!