So after 20 plus years on the road as a Paramedic, I decided that enough was enough and it was time for a change. Hanging up my ambulance and fluorescent jacket and swapping it for a Primary Care role was not an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination. Who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, well we were about to find out! 

I did my research well, looking at the role and reading the 200 page plus document called “HEE The RoadMap to Practice”. I liked the structured idea, something that was missing from my old role as an ambulance Paramedic. As an ambulance Paramedic you hit the ceiling quite early and the only progression was then to go sideways into maybe a Critical Care Paramedic or Hazardous Response Team or go in to management and give up patient facing care. None of these I fancied as they all have certain drawbacks, and I loved interacting with patients, the good, the bad, and the ones you just could not help no matter how hard you tried. 

The RoadMap still had its questions, in fact I had a lot of questions but this seemed a clear path for me to put my 20yrs plus experience to good use, plus the hours were much better I am not going to lie. After doing night shifts and working weekends the thought of getting weekends off was very inviting both to me and my family who would get to see me more, whether they liked that or not! 

I interviewed for the role, something I had not done for a long time, with the added bonus that this, due to Covid would be via Teams and I am not going to lie this was a very weird experience. I read people for a living and an interview via a screen sounded a terrible idea but I gave it a shot knowing I could not rely on them seeing my gleaming polished shoes, or my neatly put together portfolio complete with dividers and colour coding. After a while, I relaxed enjoying the interview and was offered the position, which I accepted. 

So you are probably reading this saying ‘Get to the point is Primary Care for you?’ and its yes, I can honestly say it’s brought out a new side to me, colleagues appreciating your input and valuing your advice. More education being offered to teach this old dog new tricks and a general wellbeing wrapped in the feeling that yes, Primary Care is for me and yes you can teach an old dog new tricks.  

A Paramedics Blog by 

Jason Jeffries-Lloyd 

Paramedic Facilitator