As a Medic in the RAF Reserves, Sergeant Peter Kingsley is someone who enjoys getting out of his comfort zone – and that’s saying something for a man whose day job as an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner in the London Ambulance Service (LAS) NHS Trust is already pushing the boundaries.
After landing at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan back in 2012, at the start a three-month tour with the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT), even he took a moment’s pause.
‘That was definitely when I recognised I was outside my comfort zone,’ says Peter. ‘I hadn’t experienced anything like it before: the noise, the heat, the dust. Everything about the environment, being totally immersed in a military operating base, was an incredible experience.’
The road to Camp Bastion
Peter has always been up for a challenge, always keen to push himself in the service of others. When he joined the London Ambulance Service (LAS) as a technician in 2002, it was to do just that.
‘I did the in-house training and progressed to being a paramedic,’ he recalls. ‘Then in 2009 I started working with the London Air Ambulance (LAA). Critical Care work has always been a big interest of mine, and the LAA is tasked with attending the most serious trauma calls, providing world-leading pre-hospital trauma care.’
While working for the LAA, he’d often be alongside doctors who had come from the military, or were building up to deploying to Afghanistan to work at either the hospital or MERT. ‘It was through them that I became aware of the RAF Reserves and the opportunity to go and work with them,’ he says.
Peter saw it as a chance to do something hugely worthwhile, which at the same time would challenge his clinical knowledge and skills. ‘The type of work they do is unique and the environment in which they do that work is unique. They are world-leaders and here was a chance to get involved. That’s what sparked my application,’ he enthuses.
Training with the Medical Reservists
‘Joining the military was a steep learning curve,’ says Peter. ‘But teamwork and team-building are a huge part of being in the military, so everyone around you, especially the training staff, are enormously supportive throughout the process.’
As an RAF Reservist, Peter committed to undertaking 27-days training a year, which includes a 15-day continuous training period, with the rest of the days made up of training weekends.
‘There is no such thing as a typical weekend, we might be setting up an aircraft to accept a whole load of stretchers; or planning medical missions or working on practical scenarios around pre-hospital and critical care; we also undertake live exercises where we board an aircraft and fly around training. It varies a lot.’
Transferable skills
‘The NHS is very supportive of Reservists, the LAS provide me with additional leave to cover the training period,’ Peter confirms. But what’s especially valuable is the way his day job improves his skills as an RAF Medic and vice versa.
‘I’ve just finished a two-week management and leadership training course as part of being promoted to Sergeant,’ he says. ‘I’ve come back with a whole load of transferable skills. But it’s a two-way process because I also have knowledge and experience that I can help deliver to the RAF, so I get involved in some of the teaching, while in turn I’ve also been away on battlefield advanced trauma courses, and chemical and biological medicine courses. That knowledge comes back with you and changes the way you work with the NHS.’
Experience in the field
When Peter first landed at Camp Bastion, he was immediately introduced to the team he’d be working with. MERT consists of a doctor from either an anaesthetic or emergency background, an RAF nurse from an emergency medical background, and two RAF paramedics.
′We were using a Chinook helicopter and providing forward aeromedical evacuation for British and coalition troops, as well as local nationals caught up in the conflict. You’re flying low-level missions, delivering care in the back of a moving helicopter, and that’s not done with the London Air Ambulance. So there are differences and similarities, but the differences are huge.′
Other differences include the types of injuries, the intensity of the work, and of course the environment. ‘The LAA is probably the best civilian preparation you can do to go to a war zone to provide medical cover,’ says Peter. ‘Clinically there’s a lot of similarity in the way you deliver the medicine, the care you’re delivering and the principles that underlie it, and there’s a lot of crossover between the operating procedures. But still, working with the RAF in Afghanistan is a league apart.’
Getting involved
RAF Reservists were recently deployed to the Caribbean to provide disaster relief after hurricane Irma. They’ve also been on exchange trips to California, taken part in Nordic cross-country skiing expeditions and sailing expeditions.
‘If you approach being a RAF Reservist with an open-minded, enthusiastic attitude, the opportunities are huge,’ says Peter. ‘It’s very much about having a ‘can do’ attitude and being a team-player. What’s more, you meet a great bunch of people from all over the country.’
The RAF Reserves are always looking for new talent. If you have the necessary medical qualifications and are looking to challenge yourself in the pursuit of aiding others, the RAF Medical Reserves is for you. They’re currently looking for Medical Officers (Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine), Medical Nurses (both Burns and Plastics and Primary Healthcare) and Pharmacy Technicians. You need to be aged between 18-54, fit and healthy, and be a British or Commonwealth citizen.
Find out more about joining the RAF Reserves today. Search RAF Recruitment or Download a copy of their brochure.