Island Life Magazine Ltd December/January 2017 | Page 31

Interview

“ It ’ s all very well learning anything in a classroom but not every patient will show classic signs and symptoms , and it ’ s only really when you get out there that the real learning begins – you learn for real on the road !”
quarter of a century that he worked in it . Now aged 57 , he retired 18 months ago , but continues to work in the NHS , in a bed management role at St Mary ’ s Hospital .
Finding direction
So what led him into this field of work ? He admits that it wasn ’ t a particular vocation . In fact , he initially left Sandown High School and went on to Bournemouth College to do an art course . When that didn ’ t inspire him , he came back to the Island with “ a need to find a job ”, and ended up in what he thought would be a temporary stop-gap at a factory in East Cowes . The ‘ temporary ’ job ended up lasting 12 years – and when it became clear it was coming to an end , Steve was still no clearer on what he wanted to do . When a co-worker at the factory said he was going to join the ambulance service , Steve decided to give it a go as well . “ At that time , it wasn ’ t too difficult to get in ” he says . “ I had some ‘ O ’ -levels and a driving licence , and seemed to do OK in the interview , where there were about a dozen other people ”. It was once he began his training though – a two-week driver training course and then a six week technician course at the ambulance college in Chippenham – that Steve realised he ’ d found the job he really wanted to do . “ It made me wish I ’ d done it years before ” he says . His basic training in those days involved learning about lifting and handling patients , resuscitation and some basic medical knowledge – but as he says , the ‘ real work ’ only started back on the Island when he went out in the ambulance . “ It ’ s all very well learning anything in a classroom but not every patient will show classic signs and symptoms , and it ’ s only really when you get out there that the real learning
Steve Goodchild
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