A day in the life of a paramedic

Nick Scott returned to Kerikeri in 2010 and is now station manager for St John Ambulance - a service constantly on the look-out for new volunteer recruits.

By Sandy Myhre.

Next time you need an ambulance spare a thought for the person transporting you. They might be a trained volunteer dedicated to community service. It's the way things are done in the rural sector and Nick Scott, station manager for St John Ambulance in Kerikeri says the major issue in getting a patient to a hospital is time.

"When you've loaded the patient, treated them, driven them to the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawkawa and returned, it's the best part of two hours out of the area. If that patient is in Kaeo you have to go to Whangarei and that's you out of service to your area for five hours."

As he says, it's a large portion of time to have an important service out of town and Sods Law being what it is, something else is bound to crop up in that hiatus period.

"If someone falls over in the main street they might wonder why if took half an hour to get to them when the station is just around the corner. They wouldn't realise the ambulance might have to come from Kaikohe, Kawakawa or Doubtless Bay."

There is a well-documented push for a base hospital in Kerikeri but it's not likely to happen in the near future. The alternative, says Nick Scott, is to have a full time ambulance in Paihia especially over the summer months when tourists flood the area, providing not just a secure service but healthy public relations as well.

Then there's the crew issue. Kerikeri and other ambulance bases are manned primarily by volunteers and single-crew situations can potentially be fraught.

"Night shift is a worry particularly if a female officer is going to the back of beyond on her own. Even with a simple medical case like a drug overdose could turn nasty and the officer is a long way from help."

In fact if it wasn't for volunteers every ambulance would be single crewed but, having said that, the ambulance stations in the Far North are well supported by the local communities and are well off in terms of equipment, vehicles and staff training. The high standard is a source of pride within the service.

Trained crews are able to administer many different types of medications on the spot for a wide variety of conditions. The worst aspect of the job is dealing with child death. Most of the full time staff and volunteers have kids of their own and these situations can be emotionally draining. Car accidents are a source of immense frustration.

"For every accident you go to there are probably 100 near misses and just to get that extra space in the queue why do you have to take the blind corner?" he asks before suggesting it's 'pea-brained mentality'.

For Nick Scott as an intensive care paramedic, picking up pieces off the road and caring for the community is a way of life which began as a volunteer when he was in the 7th form at Kerikeri High School. He taught PE at Okaihau College for a few years before he 'saw the light' and got a paid ambulance position in Auckland for 12 years. In South Auckland he learned about the effects of 'getting the bash'. In Central is was more your Friday and Saturday night drunk and disorderly.

He came home in 2010 to Kerikeri for the lifestyle offered his young family and his qualifications, which he constantly revises, are as high as he can get within the organisation. He could always lull a patient into relaxing by singing - his ulterior life as a musician is well-known in the area.

Like the fire service, St John Ambulance - which is a charity - is constantly on the look-out for new volunteer recruits.

Website - www.stjohn.org.nz