Meet James, GWAAC’s Trainee Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care

James Leavor started his new role as Trainee Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care (SPCC) with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) on 24 June 2024. James, along with Waldo Zweep, passed a rigorous selection process earlier in the year to make it through to an assessment day with eight other applicants. James says, “I feel very lucky to have been selected to be a part of this ambitious and determined team.”

James embarked on his career in paramedicine when he began a three-year Paramedic Practitioner course at Plymouth University in 2013. He achieved a first-class degree and completed his newly qualified Paramedic foundation years at Derriford Ambulance Station in Plymouth.  James said, “This is where I got a real passion to develop myself clinically. I knew I wanted to progress, learn more skills and become a more specialised paramedic.”

He looks back at his early career with fondness: “I got to work with some incredible people who helped develop me into a confident paramedic. I also gained a lot of experience in a busy urban setting.”

In October 2019, James passed a selection process to join Exeter’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). He trained in Salisbury and joined the team on the road in January 2020. He recalls, “This was just before the world changed with the COVID-19 pandemic. I was thrown in at the deep end with high-consequence infectious diseases!”

Once the world settled down again, James progressed through HART in various roles including Team Educator and Deputy Team Leader: “In my Team Education role, I facilitated training within the team and helped keep them up to date with the latest evidence and guidelines. My Deputy Team Leader role was an Operational Commander role that allowed me to lead the team into high-risk areas.”

During his time in HART, James instructed at the National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU) and completed the Enhanced Clinical Skills course — James trained in intubation, surgical airways, finger thoracostomies and administering advanced drugs. He said, “Learning these skills helped cement my ambitions to move into critical care. In HART I responded to technical rescues and major incidents but I often handed over the patient to receive their critical care interventions, whereas the role I’m working towards now is providing those interventions myself.”

When asked why he wanted to work for GWAAC, James answered, “GWAAC is known for being one of the most clinically-advanced Critical Care Teams and the opportunities that come with working in this team are incredible. I know that I’m going to get a huge amount of support to help develop myself into the SPCC I hope to become. The team so far has been incredibly welcoming and I already feel like part of the family.”

James is particularly excited about doing the HEMS Technical Crew Member (TCM) course: “Not all air ambulances offer this course but being a qualified TCM means I’ll be directly involved in the aviation side too.”  Our SPCCs must complete this training to support our pilots with emergency procedures, navigation and identification of safe landing sites.

James says the training courses at GWAAC have been coming "thick and fast" and he’s already been signed off to assist with thoracotomies and resuscitative hysterotomies. “I’ve also been enrolled on a new master's degree pathway and have three new portfolios of evidence to start.” His busy training schedule has been balanced by the, “incredible support I’ve received since I started.” James says, “I feel very much like I’ve been welcomed, not just by the clinical staff, but by the wider charity too. Everyone I’ve met has been lovely from the shops to the Fundraising and Marketing & Comms Teams to the pilots…”

For anyone looking into becoming part of the GWAAC team, James says, “It’s an incredible opportunity for those that get it and I truly believe you have to work towards it for a very long time. There are lots of highly qualified paramedics who would be amazing in this role but sadly not everyone gets the opportunity. I would say the most important things are proving you have excellent communication skills, being a great leader but also being able to work as part of a team, and not being afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Then you’ve just got the small matter of a Critical Care Paramedic selection day to get through!”

James is inspired every day by his colleagues — GWAAC paramedics and doctors who are leaders in their field. He says, “We have a variety of experts in everything from neonatal intensive care, paediatrics, anaesthetics… right through to major incidents. By working with these incredible clinicians, I hope to develop into a well-rounded SPCC. My future ambitions will be to advance my practice with all the mentorship available to me. The journey never ends!”

James says that his successful completion of the application process to get this role at GWAAC is his biggest professional achievement to date: “It’s been a culmination of a decade of experience, training and pushing myself to achieve it. It’s been my dream and aspiration of all time. Now I’ve just got to get the qualification signed off. That will be a great day! (18 months to go!)”

On a personal level, his recent marriage to Chloe, also a paramedic, is his “biggest achievement in life.” And it came in the same week that he started with GWAAC. James admits, “It was a pretty busy week! I’ve got to thank my new wife for all the support she has given me whilst revising and practicing.”

To relax and wind down, James enjoys rock-climbing, stand-up paddle boarding and going to the gym with his wife. He also enjoys going on long walks with their golden retriever, Bailey.

An interesting fact about James is that he has visited 205 cities in 70 countries and he’s still counting. That’s over one-third of the world’s countries! This is mainly due to James’ Dad’s long career as a Hotel Operations Manager on cruise ships.

James’ three favourite things include Pizza (anything meaty!), pasta (spicy!) and gelato (any!) — a clue that he is part Italian.

His three most hated things? “Onions, spiders, traffic… easy.”

When asked to describe himself in one word, James said, “Ambitious.”

Find out what lies ahead for James and fellow Trainee SPCC Waldo over the coming months by learning from our most recently qualified Specialist Paramedic, Callum. We spoke with SPCC Callum in 2023 to find out what it takes to become an SPCC at GWAAC.