‘THIS IS THE ULTIMATE – THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD’
IT can be an intense, confronting and challenging job, but for those on the frontline as paramedics, there’s no other gig in the world they’d rather be doing.
The Bulletin spent a shift with Gold Coast QAS operations supervisor Gavin Fuller last week and were confronted with some of the challenges paramedics face on a day-to-day basis, whether it be violence, drug abuse or car crashes.
For Mr Fuller, a former air force medic turned QAS paramedic, being there when people are at their worst and helping them through makes his gig the best in the world.
“I started with QAS in 2001,” he said. “I came from a military background, I was a medic in the air force for 20 years before that.
“I love the job, absolutely, I loved the military and I thought that was the best job in the world, but this job is the ultimate, for me. It’s the best job in the world.
“You get to meet people, at what is to them their worst time, generally, whether it’s a medical condition, a traumatic injury or a psychological condition. To them it’s the worst they’ve ever felt.
“You as a person and as a team have an opportunity to make their life better, whether it’s simply by just sitting there and talking to them, or by taking away their pain. Not a lot of people get that opportunity, to walk into a stranger’s house and be able to help someone. It’s a privilege to do what we do.”
He said while drugs and equipment were a major part of his role, a reassuring chat was just as important.
“We have a lot of equipment, a lot of drugs that we can use on patients, but most of the time it’s you reassuring them they’re in good hands and that you’re going to do everything you can for them.
“That’s the biggest thing in the world for them at that time, that you can make them feel better. It’s that confidence we can display and get across to them that can put them at ease and make them feel a lot more relaxed.
“A lot of the time, that’s all you need, a nice, gentle, reassuring voice and to let them know you’re going to help them.”