Case study insight rewarded for paramedic student Orfhlaith

Postgraduate paramedic science student Orfhlaith McNulty has won a national award for her insight into issues she has dealt with while on placement during her course.

Orfhlaith (pictured on the right above) won the Carol Furber Award at the 2022 College of Paramedics awards for her case study, which focused on a patient who needed further help from paramedics after being prescribed with medication when leaving hospital.

Other paramedic science students will also be able to benefit from Orfhlaith’s observations, with her case study being published in the College of Paramedics Insight magazine.

Study Paramedic Science at the University of Huddersfield

“I am thoroughly delighted to receive the Carol Furber award from the College of Paramedics for my reflective piece,” says Orfhlaith. “I would like to say a huge thank you to Sakina Waller, my personal academic tutor, for supporting me with my entry and also to Suzanne Lait who has been a wonderful mentor and friend during my time on placement with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS). 

“I have really enjoyed my time on the MSc Paramedic Science programme and it has provided me with great knowledge and skills, helping me to secure a paramedic role with YAS.”

During a callout while on placement with YAS, Orfhlaith helped a patient complaining of chest pain. He had previously been hospitalised with acute coronary pain, and had been prescribed a spray called GTN . However when he suffered another episode, it transpired that he did not fully understand how to use the medication or what it did, leading to Orfhlaith realising that there was a knowledge gap that paramedics would have to deal with.

“Patients will re-present to the ambulance service, which is not a bad thing, as we want them to call us back if something changes,” says Orfhlaith’s tutor Sakina Waller. “But it was the absence of information sharing and public information about what the drug is, what he is taking or that it alleviates the symptoms that took Orfhlaith’s interest. It became our job to pass on that information.

“It’s a good example of why it is important for our students to reflect, and it certainly was in this case.

“There is something enriching about sharing your learning with others, it is incredibly beneficial and helps others, not just students but the wider profession.”