“Running call! Patient fallen off the top of a bus stop, take gases and get there quick!” Calls to patients with this particular mechanism of injury are, unsurprisingly, a bit of a rarity for everyone, but regardless of their injury, we are still expected to be the first medical response for members of the public and often get there far before the ambulance service. This was a call that a first aider from BL received whilst giving medical cover with St John Ambulance at London Pride this year. Amazingly, the patient walked into the treatment centre on their own but required Entonox, morphine, and a doctor to relocate a broken finger and check over their back before a quick trip to hospital for the appropriate scans.

In some ways, these are some of the benefits of being a volunteer with St John (no, there’s no ‘s’...), having to deal with a very wide variety of patients with uniquely different conditions whilst also having the clinical autonomy and responsibility to deal with the patients yourself (and praying that the ambulance is not too far behind sometimes). But on top of the great experience that you get, there are other added benefits such as the ability to develop in a wide field of specialties (ambulance crew, communications, training, cycle response, extrication/crowd response, youth work, driving, fundraising etc.). Becoming a part of one of the largest volunteer healthcare teams in the country, comes with special benefits of going to large events completely free (London Marathon, Concerts, New Years Eve and a lot more). We also have specialist support in place for student healthcare professionals that volunteer with us, giving them the opportunity to practise skills they might not do much otherwise.

Our patient stories are not always as exciting this one, though. Sometimes, it’s as simple as dressing a wound, giving some paracetamol, or just talking to a patient. However, regardless of the ailment or the query, our volunteers will always be there to lend a hand with a smile on our face.

So, if you’re interested in doing something a bit different that will help you grow as a person, if you want a bit extra clinical experience, or if you have a keen interest in the prehospital setting, then why not join a fantastic team that does something just a bit out of the ordinary and has a lot of fun whilst doing it?

If you are interested in joining the society to learn first aid or joining the unit as a volunteer, please email Natalia.Perdek@sja.org.uk or Myurri. Lohesan@sja.org.uk Meetings are held every Wednesday 6-8pm in Bancroft (where you do your anatomy and physio labs), Room 1.13. (Oh, and by the way, we get 20% off Nandos with emergency services discount)

@QMULLINKS