Paramedic

Kathryn Eastwood is a friendly, caring 28-year-old, but most people would hope to never have cause to meet her... at least not when she’s at work. As a trainee paramedic with one of Melbourne’s elite Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) units, Kathryn usually only enters people’s lives when something terrible has happened to them. A normal day in Kathryn’s life is often the worst in many of her patients’ lives.

8am: As most of us are rising to prepare for the day ahead, Kathryn is sleeping. Today will be the first of her two consecutive night shifts, so she needs all the sleep she can get before it’s time to start work at 5pm. Kathryn’s regular roster entails two 10-hour day shifts, two 14-hour night shifts, and then four days off. “It’s a good roster because you have a few days off every week to relax or go on little getaways, but it’s hard to get your body into a rhythm,” she says.

Kathryn has been a paramedic for almost six years. On the days she has off or is working night shift, she will some-times lecture students studying for the Diploma of Ambulance Paramedic Studies or the Bachelor of Emergency Health at Monash University. “I love teaching. It keeps me on my toes and up to date. Most people who go into this field are very passionate about it so that makes it rewarding,” she says.

12 noon: Kathryn gets up and takes her two dogs, Milly and Sam, for a walk. Her boyfriend Steve, who is a MICA flight paramedic with Air Ambulance Victoria, will usually come along – the couple tries to work similar rosters. Kathryn might also use the afternoon to do some study for her MICA paramedic course. She began the extra 18 months of training in 2004, and will qualify in April. The course has taken her beyond the high skill level required of all paramedics to include greater detail in anatomy, physiology and pharmacology, enabling her to make more clinical decisions without consulting a doctor. “The first hour in a life-threatening situation is critical for the survival of the patient, and the more we can do on the ground, the better chance they have when they get to hospital,” she explains.

4pm: It’s time to get ready for work so Kathryn has a shower, feeds the dogs and heads out the door. She tries to get to the base in Hampton Park 15 minutes early, so if a job comes in just before shift change, her team can take over and allow the day shift team to go home on time.

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