Case studies - Sarah Richardson
Sarah Richardson is a 19 year old medical student from Newcastle upon Tyne.
You’re very involved with the St John Ambulance organisation. How old you were when you joined and what made you want to join?
I was about 14 when I joined St John. I’ve always been very interested in all things medical and decided that I wanted to find a way to learn and practice first aid. I went along to a cadet unit meeting one night and loved it so much that I’ve been there 5 years since! After 18 months in the organisation I won the county cadet of the year competition and became heavily involved in the youth department and PR events.
I now have a position within the county youth team where we organise many different events for young people. This ranges from competitions to residential courses and camps. Last year as part of BT’s Giant Sleepover we held a camp for 19 children aged 5-10 (badgers) and 75 children aged 10-16 (cadets). While the badgers did a sponsored sleepover the cadets did a sponsored stay awake, which seemed like less of a good plan at 5am after a night hike and no sleep!
What sort of training do you get?
When I first joined we learned basic first aid skills such as CPR and bandaging and practised them every week at our meetings. I then started doing courses. I’ve now trained as an advanced first aider, with a full four day First Aid at Work course, patient handling, Medical gases administration and I’m trained to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
As well as the first aid side there’s also other training available. Since I take part in a lot of youth events I’ve done a child protection and protection of vulnerable adults course.
Within the cadets there’s a massive range of subjects which you can do training in. This training goes towards a nationally recognised award – the Grand Prior Award. As part of my award I did courses such as drugs awareness, casualty simulation and even DIY!
Where are some of the places we might see St John Ambulance service on duty?
We are anywhere and everywhere! In Northumbria we attend the football matches at St James Park and the Stadium of Light, we attend the Speedway and Falcons Rugby. We have presence at the Sunderland International Air Show and the Hoppings (the largest travelling fair in Europe). During the Great North Run we have up to 100 members out on duty throughout the 13 mile race. As well as these large events we also attend small events such as town fairs and local football matches. Nationally our members attend events such as the London Marathon and Notting Hill Carnival. During the bombings in London on 07/07 St John Ambulance had over 100 personnel with 37 ambulances assisting the local emergency services within an hour of the emergency call being sent out.
Can you describe some of the conditions you treat whilst on duty?
The majority of patients that you see on duty need treatment for minor conditions such as cuts, scrapes, bee stings and headaches. However on some of the bigger duties we’re quite often called to patients with more serious injuries such as broken arms, broken legs, head injuries, potential spinal injuries and major cuts and bleeds. Very rarely we are called to patients that have collapsed or have had heart attacks. On the great north run we’ve had patients that have collapsed and stopped breathing, and our crews and members have resuscitated them. On the odd occasion you get very difficult cases that take you by surprise such as a teenage girl I was called to that had been attacked by her friend.
You're obviously someone who wants to help other people because you're taking part in a mountaineering event to raise money for charity. What does it involve? Have you had to do any training? How come you didn't just do a sponsored walk like most people :-)?
This July I’m going out to Tanzania to work in a hospital for three weeks, and I’m then going up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the hospital. I’m taking the longest and most challenging route up the mountain which will take eight days with the summit attempt on the sixth day. I’ll spend the fifth night at crater camp which is just above the height of base camp on Everest!
Obviously I’ve had to do some training to try and get myself fit enough. I’ve been going to the gym every day for a couple of hours and have started training with my rucksack and boots on. I also spent a week in the lakes doing up to 15 miles walking a day, which helped me to train (although it did take its toll on my knees!).
I like to challenge myself, anyone can do a sponsored walk, but with several chronic medical conditions people said I would never be able to do anything near the magnitude of Kilimanjaro, I would love to prove them wrong!
What motivates you to do this?
I’ve always wanted to go to Africa, especially to volunteer and use my skills to help out in a hospital. The hospital I’m going to is incredibly rural (it will take me at least two days to get there) and has only one doctor, who is generally in charge of running the hospital as opposed to treating patients. There are several medical assistants, but with increasing numbers of patients they are desperate for staff and volunteers. An additional pressure has been put on the area by the conflict in the democratic republic of Congo, which has resulted in an influx of refugees to the area. Hopefully I’ll be of some help and will learn a lot about the treatment of illnesses never seen in this country, such as malaria.
You’re also training to be a doctor. How old were you when you knew you wanted to study medicine?
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to study medicine. For a brief period when I was 10 I wanted to be a vet, but quickly changed my mind when I realised where you have to put your hands when treating cows! I am now going into my third year at Edinburgh, and could not love university more. We have the only medical society with a Royal charter, which has been in existence for over 250 years. I’m currently the Senior Secretary on the Royal Medical Society council which is fantastic because we get to arrange and take part in all the activities for the new first years. As well as getting involved in peer mentoring and teaching, and charity work in local schools.
Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
In 10 years time I would love to be working as a doctor in an emergency medicine setting, whether that is in this country or another. I hope to be able to continue my charity work, maybe volunteering at some point in Nepal – where I also hope to be able to hike in the Himalayas. I’d also like to continue my work with St John Ambulance hopefully still being part of the Youth team, but also supporting members on duty as a doctor.
What do you think of Shine week and the showcasing of young talent?
I think it’s a fantastic idea, and hopefully it’ll inspire more young people to get involved in something different. I think young people aren’t appreciated enough in what they do, and so any attempt to highlight the talent and skills of our young people should be positively encouraged!
Who or what is your inspiration?
I don’t really know what my inspiration is! Every time I see an advert for Oxfam or see a picture of a starving child I simply wonder how we can continue to allow people to suffer the worst poverty possible. Obviously I can’t change the world, but I think everyone should help in their own way, however they can, that’s why I wanted to do medicine, and that’s why I’m going out to Africa.
Was there ever a teacher or person who helped you to Shine?
Most of my teachers at school always encouraged me to do medicine and aim for my dreams. One teacher in particular - Dr Carson, was fantastic and really inspired me to work hard to get where I want to be. It always amazed me just how much she managed to fit into one day, I hope one day I can multitask as well as she can!
How do you think teachers can help young people to fulfil their potential?
I think teachers are in a fantastic position to inspire and encourage young people to fulfil their potential. Young people often lack confidence but a few simple words from a trusted teacher can make a massive difference to a young person’s mindset, and can change their view on their future entirely.
What advice can you offer young people wishing to join the St John Ambulance service or study medicine?
Just go for it. St John Ambulance is a fantastic organisation with so much to offer. The best way of joining is to contact your local branch and ask if you can go along to one of the meetings, then you can decide if it’s for you or not.
If you have a genuine interest in medicine then by all means try and get a place. If you’re interested in a subject then you want to learn as much as you can about it – if that’s how you feel about medicine then you will fly through the course. All you need is some perseverance and confidence in your abilities, and of course the ability to let your hair down for a notorious medic’s party!
