Reflecting on Practice with Carl Betts

In this conversation, we talk with Carl Betts reflecting on practice as a paramedic. Carl is a Paramedic and quality improvement fellow based in Sheffield working for the ambulance service. He has been a Paramedic for 9 years and has a 10-year extensive history of expeditions featuring multiple trips to Everest base camp, K2, Mongolia, South Africa, Swaziland, Kangchenjunga, Toubkal, Aconcagua, Pakistan, Oman and many more. He has recently written two pieces of reflection that have been published in the College of Paramedics INSIGHT magazine. These are ‘Normal or numb’ and ‘The second victim and me’. In this episode, we examine these articles, Carl’s motivations for writing them, and pull out some of the salient learning points for both pieces in this interview. In the interview, we explore; Carls journey into paramedicine in 2012 & navigating 9 years on the frontline of paramedic practice. We then explore why Carl decided to write the first piece ‘Normal or Numb’ and Carls perspectives the salient points of continual exposure to life and death on the frontline. We look at the second piece of reflection; ‘The second victim and me’ and unpack what is the second victim from both a clinical perspective and a psychological perspective. We look at the second and third-order effects of formal clinical investigation on staff and why it can be so stressful, impacting directly on contemporary practice. We complete the discussion by cataloguing the advantages of reflection on practice, the restoration of normality and the empathy that should be extended to any clinicians going through an internal or external investigation. We hope you enjoy this candid and honest reflection from Carl that examines the necessity of clinicians psychological health required to treat others in a stressful and ever-changing pre-hospital environment.  Bio Carl Betts is a Paramedic and Quality Improvement fellow based in Sheffield working for the ambulance service. He has been a Paramedic for 9 years and has a 10-year extensive history of expeditions featuring multiple trips to Everest base camp, K2, Mongolia, South Africa, Swaziland, Kangchenjunga, Toubkal, Aconcagua, Pakistan, Oman and many more.