Emma Powell is a St George's alunma who joined London Ambulance Service in 2015 after graduating in Paramedic Science.
Emma splits her time between her role as a Paramedic and her business in Aesthetics, as well as acting as a mentor to new members of the team.
Below, Emma speaks about her experience of the last two years and what International Women’s Day means to her.
Striking a positive work-life balance
It has been a lot of work to juggle running my own business in Aesthetics and everything that comes with that – like the admin and marketing – with my role as a Paramedic while also having a six-year-old daughter. But I’m really enjoying the combination of artistic and clinical aspects that you get in Aesthetics.
I make sure that in whatever role I'm working in at the time, I'm fully focused on that so that I can give it all of my attention.
Adapting to change during Covid-19
There was a fear of the unknown at the beginning of the pandemic, because you are used to doing your job in a certain way, and there was uncertainty around how Covid-19 would impact the way we worked.
It was very difficult at the beginning of the first lockdown. We lost some of our colleagues to Covid, during a time when people were becoming ill but we didn’t know as much as we do now about the disease.
Throughout the last two years, what we do in our role has never changed, but we have had to adapt the way we work in order to adjust to the impact of Covid-19.
It's not clear whether things will ever go back to how they once were, and we might be seeing some of the knock-on effects of the pandemic for quite some time.
Inspiring future Paramedics
Emma has enjoyed having the opportunity to act as a mentor alongside her role as a Paramedic, welcoming Paramedic Science students, Newly-Qualified Paramedics and Ambulance Practitioner to the team and supporting them at the start of their career.
She shares: “It feels really good to be able to welcome new members, or those who are students thinking about their next steps."
I remember how it felt to be a new Paramedic, and having supportive colleagues make a huge difference to your experience in the rike. I feel passionate about making sure that starting out in the role is a fun, positive experience for newcomers.
What International Women's Day means to me
I really support anything to do with women’s empowerment which helps other women feel the way I feel: in control and happy with where they are going in life.
It's so important to help women to understand what they have to do to be where they want to be, and have the support they need to thrive.
Sometimes, even if it’s not something we do consciously, we can put limitations on ourselves as women. It can be as much about your mindset – telling yourself that you deserve to have the things you want and to fulfil your ambitions – as it is about hard work.
My advice for women pursuing a career as a Paramedic
I know some people might say, ‘go for it’, ‘don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something’ and ‘be confident’, but I love the saying ‘Fake it ‘til you make it’ as I find this much more relatable.
I did my degree later in life, and was not very confident when I was younger. I think sometimes, as women, we can feel like we’re faking it even when we aren’t, because there is that sense of imposter syndrome. But you start realising that the more you ‘fake’ confidence, the more confident you become. Try new things and move out of your comfort zone - what’s the worst that can happen?
I'm lucky now to be surrounded by people who have encouraged me and inspired me to go for things that have helped me get to where I am today. I’ve found it really helpful to think about who I am surrounding myself with, and what sort of attitude and mindset they have.
My hopes for other women in my field is that they surround themselves with brilliant people who they can learn from, and grow with, as I have done!
Find out more about International Women's Day and read more stories from the St George's community.