As HCPs we are used to having mentors. We are assigned them in training programmes, trained to become them as part of our progression, and some workplaces offer ‘team leader’ style roles for continued mentorship post-training. But what about when we want advice on accessing career pathways that aren’t immediately available?

What about when we are thinking of reducing hours, changing contracts, trying different Trusts and don’t know anyone currently doing the same?

LinkedIn is a great tool – if people respond, and I have said for some time that if you look for someone doing what you would like to do, you will likely find them. The problem is, that doesn’t mean you can ask them how they got there, what courses were worthwhile (or are now worthwhile amidst constantly moving barriers like Trusts previously wanting level 3 certificates now wanting level 4, and evolving career maps), or how to get anyone in your chosen line of work to answer your enquiries.

Paramedics are now working across a variety of fields, and as I have written recently, I believe that we may soon reach a point like other professions of working a generic few years before choosing specialist paths. However, I am aware that many are trying to work out which path is most suited to them, which one isn’t a dead-end and involves a good mix of a healthy shift pattern, interesting work, and career progression. It isn’t easy to choose when many pathways are new or still being developed. Some appear in one part of the country several months before they pop up in another and as most of us have experienced, the same pathway doesn’t necessarily look or feel the same in every Trust.

I believe that it should be easier for us to find mentors and support each other to answer simple questions like those written above. I hope to soon provide Article 999 mentors who will available to answer questions and offer guidance. These mentors will be working in a variety of specialised roles. They may have specialist interests that have become part of their career. Going forward, they may be able to provide more in-depth career discussions and advice, and some of them may be interested in collaborating on projects and ideas.

We as Paramedics do have the benefit of information and support available from unions and the College of Paramedics, but we don’t have an easy to access resource of helpful, responsive, qualified mentors who are there to help you:

• Progress
• Network
• Make informed career choices
• Make informed course choices to spend your money and time effectively and efficiently
• Find guidance (and perhaps inspiration) when you are unsure where to take your career or what is next for you.

If you are interested in becoming a mentor for Article 999 please email me at article999uk[at]gmail.com with your name, role (and registration number if you are registered), clinical background and experience, area of specialist interest(s), and mentoring experience and qualifications. Please note this is currently voluntary, but committed mentors will be contacted in the future as this project develops and grows. Mentors will also receive a certificate that could be used for CPD portfolios.

If you are interested in being mentored then please let us know by liking this post, commenting and/or sharing it.

“Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.”

John C. Crosby
(one of many quotes that describe effective mentoring)