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Studying from Shetland
My name is Nicole. I'm currently coming to the end of my first year of Paramedic Science at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. I am from a small island up at the top of Scotland called Shetland.
I've always wanted to become a paramedic. Perhaps part of it was influenced by my uncle who is a paramedic here, but mostly because I liked the idea of helping others from all different backgrounds in some of their hardest times in life.
I particularly struggled at school with dyslexia and then-undiagnosed ADHD which left me without the grades I needed to get into uni. At the time, I didn't know there were other options for me to still get into my dream career, so I went on to do care work in homes and in the community. Then, on one of my nightshifts, someone told me about the Access to Nursing SWAP course at UHI Shetland College that I could do, along with an added Higher in Human Biology, to get the grades I needed for uni.
I met with career advisors and the college to discuss my options before taking my place. The college was able to get me some ambulance placements as well as at A&E, theatre and surgical wards, to help me gain some experience. Together with SWAP, they assisted me with my UCAS application to university. Looking back now to a few years ago thinking I'd never get to where I am now, I could never be happier and forever grateful for the experience. It just shows there are so many other paths you could follow to still get where you want to be - never give up on trying.
I had to re-locate from my home in Shetland to Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh, Edinburgh to study for my degree in Paramedic Science. It was a hard goodbye as Shetland has always been my comfort zone. I'm definitely not used to the city life yet! But I’m lucky that the campus is out of the city a bit, so doesn’t have too much city noise and there’s a lot of countryside where I can go on walks. I was used to living by myself in my flat in Shetland so the thought of sharing with 5 others in a flat was a bit daunting. However, since I've come here, I've met the best people. My flatmates are also from all over the world so they all understand the struggles of being away from home and we can help each other. It’s also handy having so many people around if you need anything.
First year has been a lot more difficult than I anticipated with the academic sides of things, but the support from my lecturers and friends has really helped me through this and with my essays. The practical stuff has been pretty exciting! Before Christmas I had 3 weeks of PTS (patient transport) which was amazing and got to understand the different roles of the ambulance service. I'm currently on a 3-week nursing home placement which has been really lovely. Everyone here has been so welcoming and kind, which has really helped build my confidence as being a student in an unfamiliar place can be quite hard. After the 3 weeks are up, I'm on a 7-week A&E ambulance placement. I look forward to all the new experiences I'm going to get from it.
Once that is complete, all my classes for 1st year have finished up already so I’ll be ready to go back to Shetland for summer which I'm most looking forward to. I'm talking to career advisors about speaking about my journey to students in schools as it’s something I wish I had had at school. I got
Once that is complete, all my classes for 1st year have finished up already so I’ll be ready to go back to Shetland for summer which I'm most looking forward to. I'm talking to career advisors about speaking about my journey to students in schools as it’s something I wish I had had at school. I got
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