‘I’ve been catapulted into a new life’
Emma King had been looking for a meaningful career since she left school, and she finally found it during the pandemic.
Being accident prone and riding horses as a child meant frequent trips with Mum to our local hospital in Leeds. On reflection, that time spent in A&E departments no doubt gave me a fondness for the people that patched me up. I remember seeing ambulances coming in and watching the paramedics, thinking, ‘Wow, these people are doing something amazing.’
I applied to do a business degree but didn’t get the grades for the course and, instead, got an office job, working for a financial services company. I only took the role because I needed something to do that summer but ended up staying in the sector for the next 20 years.
As a result of falling into my career, I always felt like something was missing. I was happily married and loved being a mum to our two children, who are now six and eight years old, but I wanted to do something that felt meaningful. In 2017, I began to research volunteering opportunities and came across an advert for St John Ambulance, and I contacted them straight away.
After passing assessments and undergoing the training, I started attending local fetes and football tournaments as part of the St John’s team twice a month. I enjoyed being out in the community on stand-by to help when it was needed.
When I then came across a job advert for apprentice paramedics, I knew this was what I wanted to do, but didn’t have the qualifications. So I signed up for a healthcare course at a local college, which I began in September 2019. Studying and working at the same time became too much, so a few months later I gave up my job.
I was catapulted into my new career last year during the first wave of the pandemic when I volunteered in the A&E department of Chesterfield
Royal Hospital. It was scary and the shifts were tiring. But there were pockets of hope and inspiration, too: the very first clap for carers, the conversations with grateful staff and the stories from patients. There was a real sense of everyone pulling together.
I want to make my mum proud
BECOMING A VOLUNTEER
Last September, I began my paramedicine degree at De Montfort University in Leicester. Despite it being a difficult time to make big life changes due to the pandemic, this also made it crystal clear to me that I’d found my calling and there was no time to waste. The degree so far has been hard, particularly as a mature student, but I know it’s the right decision.
When I heard St John Ambulance would be training volunteers to support the NHS in delivering the vaccination programme, I immediately applied. It’s something I feel very passionate about, having cared for Covid-19 patients, and I’ve been doing this around my university work as and when I can.
On Christmas Day, I got a call from my dad saying my mum, Yvonne, had tested positive for Covid-19. She suffered from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which made her vulnerable, and we lost her at the start of January. It was devastating. My mum was my biggest fan. She used to tell everyone about my voluntary work and how I was retraining to be a paramedic. Although the grief has been difficult, it has encouraged me to keep going, because I want to do her proud.
I’ll finally graduate in 2023 and am looking forward to being a full-time paramedic. The pandemic has encouraged me to go after a new life, and it’s one where I’ll be proud to make a difference.
Find out more at sja.org.uk