About Us

So when Kirsty got the opportunity to come on board as a Graduate Intern in August last year, she was over the moon!

“Wellington is and always has been my home. It just made sense that Wellington Free was the service I wanted to work for,” Kirsty says.

Kirsty juggled working part time and being a full time mum while she completed her Paramedicine degree.

“I cried when I found out I got the job; happy tears of course.

“It really did mean a lot to me as I have worked so hard to be successful and do well throughout my training that being offered the job felt like a huge weight off my shoulders and an absolute dream come true,” she says.

For Kirsty, the chance to build her theoretical knowledge and practical skills even further is something she’s looking forward to – that and the ability to tie it all together to provide the best possible care for her patients. 

The start to her career with Wellington Free was “pretty intense” as the first job she went to was a sudden cardiac arrest.

“I've experienced many sad moments already while being out on the road, however I have had some really positive moments as well. It's really heart-warming being able to just be there for people when they are experiencing a medical crisis of some sort and knowing that your presence is comforting to them.

“I had one lovely elderly lady who was initially incredibly anxious about what she dealing with at the time. But after spending time with her and listening to her life stories on the way to hospital, she thanked and hugged me, and told me I felt like family.

“It's moments like that when you really feel like you've made a positive impact in a patient’s experience,” she says.

Kirsty is part of Brown Shift and says everyone is great to work with.

“Bridgid is my preceptor and it's been great working with her. She challenges me to think outside the box and doesn't make me feel silly if I need to ask questions about anything I'm unsure of. She's super supportive and I'm learning a lot while working with her!”

“It’s also really great knowing I can debrief and have great emotional support from my colleagues too.” 

Kirsty, like many of our paramedics, loves that there’s no such thing as a 'normal day'.

“One day we might only have a couple of non-urgent jobs where the patient may not require transport, but a GP follow up instead. On the other hand it could involve being so busy with such a huge variety of jobs, all differing in severity.”

“There’s really no telling what sort of day we are going to have, but I think that's part of what makes this job so interesting and exciting at the same time.”