Exceptional students boost patient care in Essex

Eighteen new front-line staff are now out on the road providing high-quality patient care after completing a 13-week course at the ambulance training centre in Broomfield. This has allowed them to become emergency medical technicians, and the opportunity to go on and become fully-fledged state registered paramedics.

Studying under course leader Gideon Chilton and tutors including senior paramedic Ian Britten and course and training director John Hewitt , the students have learnt key clinical skills including:

• medical assessment and treatment

• trauma management

• maternity

• major incident management

On Friday, the group were presented with certificates and stethoscopes, and Gideon praised them for the commitment demonstrated by them throughout their training: "They were an exceptionally good group -  they did everything that we asked of them and more, and worked to a very high standard.

"They undertook a whole range of activities to back up the theory, including two major incident scenarios at Southend and Stevenage which they got a lot of out of. For the staff, it was an easy course to be involved with and I’d like to thank everyone at the centre for making the course run smoothly including the tutors who did the assessing and marking and helped us meet our objectives.

"From what we have seen in the classroom, we expect them to do very well and we hope to see them in the future as they continue on their training."

WEST

Sarah Nichols - Loughton

Tristan Childs - Loughton

Owen Nicol - Harlow

SOUTH

Sandra Lodge - Basildon

Lee Sachse - Basildon

Helen Taylor - Rayleigh

Janette Caterer - Southend

Katie Povey - Southend

Christopher Connor - Southend

Andrew Faiers - Thurrock

Benjamin Wallace - Thurrock

NORTH

Caroline Jackson - Burnham

Kerry Quy -  Burnham

Karen Dodman - Witham

Sarah Bamber -Witham

Jennifer Hayward - Witham

Sarah Ashman - Weeley

Dawn Howlett -  Colchester