Being selected as a Trainee SPCC: The start of the journey

In 2024, we were excited to welcome two new Trainee Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care (SPCCs) to Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) — James Leavor and Waldo Zweep.

To be selected as Trainee SPCCs, James and Waldo had to complete a rigorous recruitment process designed to test not only their clinical knowledge, but also their mental resilience and people skills — all at once.

As one of the busiest air ambulances in the country, the opportunity to work as part of GWAAC’s Critical Care Team is highly sought after by paramedics across the UK and beyond. It’s vital for both GWAAC and our patients that we bring in the right people to ensure our team is the best it can be.

Our crew responds to the most critically ill or injured people in our region, with an average of six call-outs a day. That’s why it’s crucial that our Trainee SPCCs arrive at GWAAC with plenty of experience in pre-hospital care already under their belts.

So, what does it take to become part of our Critical Care Team? Read on to discover how we selected James and Waldo as our latest Trainee SPCCs, and what makes them stand out.

Shortlisting: from 140 to 10

As soon as we advertised the role, the applications came flooding in — over 140 people were eager to become our next Trainee SPCC. The competition was tough and narrowing it down wasn’t an easy task for the GWAAC team. After a lot of careful thought (and tough decisions), the team managed to shortlist just ten standout candidates. The next step was the Selection Day, where they’d be put through their paces.

“Selection days don't come around that often,” says James Leavor, now one of our new Trainee SPCCs. “And when they do, it's big news in the paramedic world. Lots of paramedics would love this job.”

When shortlisting, the GWAAC team looked for candidates with strong clinical foundations and the right mix of experience, learning and character. Some of the things that helped applicants stand out included:

• Being a HCPC registered paramedic or NMC nurse
• Having extensive post-qualification and pre-hospital experience
• Showing evidence of ongoing or extended learning and professional development
• Previous involvement with GWAAC — whether through attending our Clinical Engagement training or governance events, volunteering as a Heartstarter, or joining us on an observation shift
• The ability to work under pressure, work as part of a close-knit team, and communicate clearly— including in emotive situations

A compassionate approach to patient care, including listening well and offering advice and comfort in difficult situations

Leadership skills — from supervising members of a multi-disciplinary team to planning and organising resources at the scene of an incident

And that was just the starting point…

How James and Waldo found their way to GWAAC

Both James and Waldo brought a wealth of pre-hospital experience when they applied to join GWAAC’s Critical Care Team.

James’ journey in paramedicine began in 2013, when he started a three-year Paramedic Practitioner course at Plymouth University. After qualifying as a paramedic, he was selected to join Exeter’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) in 2019, where he took on several roles — including  Team Educator and Deputy Team Leader.

Waldo’s journey started in his native South Africa, where he studied to become an Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP). After qualifying, he worked as an ECP for two years before moving into critical care retrieval, and later Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). In 2023, Waldo  moved to the UK with his girlfriend, and fellow paramedic, Cheridyn. While waiting for the right opportunity to return to HEMS here, he worked with South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Although their paths were different, James and Waldo’s extensive experience stood out to GWAAC’s shortlisting team— and both were invited to Selection Day.

Behind the scenes of Selection Day

On Thursday 11 April 2024, there was a sense of nerves and excitement in the air as we welcomed our ten shortlisted candidates, including James and Waldo, to our Almondsbury base for Selection Day.

Meanwhile, our crew, volunteers and the external agencies we work with made final preparations and adjustments to ensure the day felt as authentic as possible. They reviewed the upcoming range of tests and assessments, making sure everyone was clear on their role.

After the exam, candidates faced a series of clinical-based scenarios, team building exercises and even a fitness test. All of these challenges are designed to see how the candidates perform under pressure, and how well they work as both a leader and a follower— all vital skills that members of our Critical Care Team need to have. The fitness test is especially important because our crew carries equipment you’d usually find in a hospital Emergency Department from their vehicle to the patient at the scene of an incident, which can be quite a distance when arriving by helicopter.

The Selection Day was intended to be challenging and intense, reflecting what a 12-hour shift working in HEMS can be like. For our candidates, it was a marathon, not a sprint — they needed to stay consistent and focused throughout the day, despite the pressure.

While we’re sworn to secrecy about the specific details of the various tests, we can share that the clinical-based scenarios were designed to represent the wide range of patients our crew can be called to on any given day, including medical, trauma and even paediatric patients.

Selection Day is tough for everyone involved, and no one knows that better than James himself. Here’s how he describes the experience in his own words:

“I expected the Selection Day to be brutal… and it was! They (The GWAAC crew) put you under enormous pressure from the moment you arrive. Of course everybody's very polite, and they try not to make it (too) stressful, but just by virtue of being there on that day, it is a huge part of your future career riding on the next few hours. And it's really difficult to put it into words how much pressure you feel under.

Everybody that’s sat in the room has been there. All of the clinicians that are qualified have been through the selection days and the other candidates that sit around you, they've also been incredible paramedics just to get to the point of being there for the selection day. So, you're surrounded by these amazing people, they've got amazing skills, lots of history, lots of experience, and you just don't want to mess up. You just want to try and show you that you are a good enough paramedic to have this opportunity and it's really difficult because you're overthinking everything.”

What happens after Selection Day?

Once Selection Day finished, James and Waldo still couldn’t relax— the process wasn’t over yet!  Our Critical Care Team assessors carried out another round of shortlisting, carefully reviewing each candidate’s performance. After this, a select few candidates were invited to a formal interview. These interviews (held shortly after Selection Day) were the final step before James and Waldo were offered the chance of a lifetime to join GWAAC as Trainee SPCCs.

James and Waldo are now over a year into their journey to becoming fully qualified Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care. The training process takes around two years, but their training won’t stop there. Continuous training is essential for our crew —to ensure we deliver the best possible care to every patient we attend.

This vital work is only possible thanks to your continued support. Learn more about how you can support GWAAC here.