Terri's Journey - HART Paramedic

Terri Haywood is a HART paramedic who has been with the Trust for 15 years.

I joined EEAST back in 2010 as an emergency care support worker (ECSW) and have steadily worked my way up from there. I went from an ESCW to an emergency medical technician, student paramedic, paramedic, hospital ambulance liaison officer (HALO) at Broomfield hospital and now the most amazing job of all, a HART paramedic.

I have been with HART for just over a year now and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have undertaken training to be able to work in hazardous environments that a standard ambulance crew cannot safely enter. I am trained in swift water rescue, safe working at height, use of breathing apparatus, high risk confined space environments, urban search and rescue, specialist response to marauding terrorist attack incidents, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and support for special operations. The training has been fantastic, and I have done things I never thought I would be doing at work!

The best thing about working on HART is the team working. I work in a team with five other HART paramedics and a team leader. This instils a strong sense of camaraderie and belonging in a highly skilled team, knowing that you are looking out for each other in some challenging environments makes you feel safer.

Every day is different with HART, we attend a wide range of incidents, we might attend a major road traffic collision one minute and then be on route to a fire or water rescue the next. We carry a range of PPE for every eventuality.

HART provides opportunities for continuous professional growth, with advanced clinical training and specialist rescue skills. Every day is a learning day, and the training opportunities are endless.

If you thrive under pressure, want to push yourself physically and mentally, enjoy working as part of a team and enjoy problem solving in critical environments then this job is for you! I am proud to be a HART paramedic and grateful to be part of a team that makes a difference when it counts the most.