6 Jul 2023
Today (8 July 2023), across the UK, paramedics are being celebrated to mark International Paramedics Day. At London’s Air Ambulance Charity, we spoke to two paramedics, David O’Toole and Keiren Rodwell, who have recently begun their 12-month secondment with our service from London Ambulance Service.
In addition to providing life-saving pre-hospital care as part of London’s Air Ambulance’s advanced trauma team, and driving the rapid response cars, part of a paramedic’s role is to operate from the control room. Here they are responsible for dispatching London’s Air Ambulance to the most critically injured people in London, 24 hours a day.
David O'Toole
What inspired you to become a paramedic?
I did a first aid course in my previous job as a lifeguard and discovered that I had a real passion for the subject. I also found it very rewarding to use the skills I’d learned to help people. I wanted to take my interest further and so in 2012, I applied to join London Ambulance Service as an apprentice paramedic. Luckily, I was successful, and this course led to me qualifying as a paramedic in 2017.
Why did you want to join London’s Air Ambulance?
The main reason I wanted to join London's Air Ambulance was because of the positive culture and values that run through the entire organisation. Everyone within London’s Air Ambulance Charity is incredibly passionate about delivering the very best care for trauma patients in London and I really wanted to be part of that. The values of the organisation - to be compassionate, courageous and pioneering - drive us to continually improve what we can achieve for trauma patients and it's a huge honour to be part of such a committed team.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about becoming a paramedic?
Do it! There are lots of routes to becoming a paramedic now - such as joining the ambulance service as a trainee/apprentice - and you don’t have to have any prior medical knowledge to apply. It’s a tough job but also incredibly rewarding. It’s a huge privilege to be there for people in their darkest moments and to have people put their trust in us to care for them. If I could give any advice, I think it would be to put the patient at the heart of everything you do and always remember that while someone may be a patient, they are also a person.
Keiren Rodwell
What inspired you to become a paramedic?
When I was younger, we had a family emergency where we had to call for an ambulance. When the paramedic arrived, I will never forget the compassion and care he showed to both myself and loved ones. This interaction had a big effect on me and inspired me to become a paramedic myself.
Why did you want to join London’s Air Ambulance?
London’s Air Ambulance is a world-class service. I have always been impressed with the excellence displayed by all staff who work for London’s Air Ambulance Chairty. It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of a team who are leading the way in pre-hospital care. Working here was a goal of mine before I had even moved from Australia, due to its international reputation: I believe there is no better learning opportunity.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about becoming a paramedic?
I would say go for it! It's an incredible job where we are very privileged to see people in many different aspects of life. The effect that you can have by providing compassion can stay with someone for their life - this is what happened to me. It's an incredibly rewarding career, where you will be challenged to develop yourself.
