Plymouth paramedic students win international event

Plymouth University’s paramedic students have been named the best in the country.

At the simulated crisis event Spires, Plymouth paramedic students won awards for their excellent work.

Spires is the first UK international student paramedic conference and the only paramedic student competition in the UK.

To take the title the team had to perform throughout the day in realistic simulations including a mass casualty incident, a remote medicine challenge, an obstetric emergency, and a number of other medical and traumatic incidents.

Their performance was judged and scored by the rally’s keynote speakers and planning team members.

The students competed against several UK universities as well as one from Queensland, Australia and Ankara, Turkey.

Third-year students David Williams, Maisie Grainger and James Gardner, alongside lecturer and ‘coach’ Kirstie Brown, won the top award for ‘Excellence in Simulation’ at the event which was hosted by Oxford Brookes University.

David Williams said: “We’re so pleased to have taken the top prize at the first annual Spires event.

“Thanks to the balance of academic, clinical and on the job training we’ve received, we knew we had the skills in place to give it our best shot. We really are delighted.”

As well as the third year students, Plymouth University also entered a second team consisting of second year students Andrew Tye and Jacob Maddams, alongside first year Cherie-Lee Mollentz.

They won a bronze award for their management of a cardiac related emergency.

Kirstie Brown, Lecturer of Paramedic practice at Plymouth said: “I am so proud of our students for excelling at this international competition. Its vital for them to gain experience in challenging and pressured situations, and to come out on top is a massive achievement