Hosts:  Lisa Hobbs and Andy Bell
Guests: Prue Snedden and Rachel Kluck

About this episode:
Debrief hosts Lisa and Andy get an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation with Paramedics Rachel and Prue. The discussion covers a diverse range of topics from barriers of entry to the profession, the importance of strong role models in professional development and challenges for the profession moving forward. The participation of Rachel, Prue and Lisa provides a fantastic window into comparisons and contrasts, from three women who have achieved and continue to achieve great things in the world of Paramedicine. 

About Lisa: 

Lisa Hobbs is a registered paramedic and lecturer in Paramedicine at the University of Southern Queensland. From 2000-2018, Lisa has worked in various roles within the Queensland Ambulance Service, including advanced care paramedic, officer in charge, emergency medical dispatcher and senior clinical educator. In 2014, she began teaching undergraduate paramedic students at university, before moving full-time into the tertiary sector. She has extensive experience as unit coordinator and course examiner of paramedic clinical and placement subjects at several Australian universities. Her research interests include paramedic education, paramedic continuing professional development, paramedic mental health, paramedic resilience, building employability in undergraduate paramedic students, building resilience in undergraduate paramedic students and disaster management. Lisa’s qualifications include Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Diploma Paramedical Science (Ambulance), Graduate Certificate Clinical Education, Graduate Diploma Health Management/Disaster Management, Master of Philosophy (Paramedicine), MACP, MANZMH and FHEA. 

About Andy: 

Andy is currently a lecturer in Paramedicine at the University of Southern Queensland where he has been for the past three years. Prior to USQ he was lecturing at ACU (Brisbane) for four years. He has 14 years of experience with QAS. Prior to QAS, he taught search and rescue in New Zealand. He is a confirmed PhD Candidate with a particular interest in the evolution of the professional paramedic education paradigm and improving the performance of operators in high threat environments. 

About Prue: 

Prue is a Critical Care Flight Paramedic who began her career in paramedicine 16 years ago as a QAS First Responder on Moreton Island. After some adventures overseas she returned to study the first degree in Paramedics offered in Queensland. From that point on, Prue has never looked back; she has found a deep passion for the care of patients in the prehospital environment.  Currently, Prue flies out of the Archerfield airbase on Rescue 500 but has spent time on the QAS HARU and worked in multiple different areas across QLD including Ipswich, Townsville and Rockhampton. 
 
Prue describes the best part of the job is being in a team that delivers excellence in patient care, and supports and protects each other. Prue believes that through this, we can grow the professional standing of paramedics among the medical community and continue to make work a great place to be. 

About Rachel: 

Rachel is an ACP from Brisbane, where she has worked with the Queensland Ambulance Service since 2016. During that time, she also lectured in Paramedicine at the University of Southern Queensland and has served as a volunteer paramedic with Ambulance Wish Queensland since their inception in 2019. Rachel has special interests in paramedic mentorship and research, and is a recent recipient of a KJ McPherson Education and Research Foundation grant for investigation of regional anaesthesia in paramedicine.