The role of a paramedic, just like any other profession, comes with a lot of challenges. Many reports have shown that there are extremely high rates of occupational stress, anxiety and depression among paramedics, which consequently leads to high rates of sickness and absence from work. However, despite the numerous challenges that accompany paramedics, it has always been my desired career path. I am always impressed and cherish how some people would always be ready to risk their lives in order to save the lives of others (Mindfulness Life Skills,2012). The reason why I believe that I will be able to adopt to the hard and challenging life of a paramedic is because I have been equipped with various strategies such as mindfulness, the ability to address job challenges and application of the case scenarios from my class sessions. In this paper, I will discuss some of these essential strategies that I have learnt in the course of my training as a paramedic and explain on how helpful they are to my career life.
One of the strategies that I place in high regard is that of promoting Mindfulness life skills. According to the article Contemporary Approaches to Lifestyle Management , mindfulness means “paying attention in a particular way on purpose , in the present moment and non-judgmentally” (Hassed, Sullivan & Pier,2009). Through this particular life skill strategy, paramedic students are introduced to the relevant skills that would enable them to embrace challenges in a way that they would increase their effective decision making, build on the student’s personal attributes to concentration , emotional flexibility and resilience. Another helpful strategy that will be very helpful in my practical career life is the ability of being able to address my works challenges. This is will be a very helpful strategy to me since I will be able to avoid handling very stressful situation single-handedly. Situations like burnouts will therefore be reduced since I have been trained to effectively address the problems affecting me in the field and work as a team with my fellow paramedics.
This article on mindfulness skills clearly explains the importance of mindfulness and how it is essential in assisting paramedic’s students in their endeavor to becoming devoted professionals. Through incorporating this life skill in my career, I will be able to direct and redirect attention so as to concentrate on tasks effectively thereby reducing any mistakes that might have occurred due to lack of my concentration. In addition, I will be able to work in the field with an emotional balance which recognizes and modulates the stress response. Upon a further study Regarding Enhancing The Health Of Medical Students Through The Outcomes Of An Integrated Mindfulness And Lifestyle Program, mindfulness-based stress management and life programs was considered to be one of the key strategies that would help alleviate the stress levels of a paramedic student even during highly stressing challenges.
During my life as a practicing paramedic, I will incorporate strategies such as the mindfulness and the case-based classroom scenarios that are the core learning strategy that my tutor uses to make us have a feel of how effectively the work of a paramedic should be done. I have also acquired an array of skills that will assist me in delivering quality services even in emergency situations. I have learnt how to handle the emotions of the patients as well as those of the public during an emergency situation in a critical and calculative manner. The paramedic training that I have been equipped with has prepared me to be always ready and dedicated to my work. I endeavor to apply all these strategies and skills that I have acquired in the class to my real life practice career so as to be able to counter and contain any challenge that might face me in the course of my career as a paramedic.
References
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S.
W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43.
Hassed, C., de Lisle, S., Sullivan, G., & Pier, C. (2009). Enhancing the health of medical
students: outcomes of an integrated mindfulness and lifestyle program. Advances in health sciences education, 14(3), 387-398.
Stanley, E. A., & Schaldach, J. M. (2011). Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT).
