My exposure to out-of-hospital care started with the Cork City No. 1 Branch of the Irish Red Cross in 1994 when I joined as a cadet in the casualty service…aged 9! After undertaking some of my first “ambulance” work at age 12, I continued to progress through various levels of first aid and emergency medical care training, qualified as an instructor at age 16, and eventually served as Unit Officer for 5 years. I worked as a hospital porter, where I gained experience in reception, hospital supplies, mortuary, medical records, and ED admissions. Following this, I was a student nurse in University College Cork and the Cork Voluntary Hospitals, where I gained clinical experience in medical and surgical nursing, operating theatre, ICU, labour and delivery, NICU, intellectual disability nursing, inpatient mental health, long-term care, palliative care, and public health nursing. I taught and coordinated Irish Red Cross EMFR, EFR, and EMT courses. I trained as a paramedic in the National Ambulance Service College, and worked as a paramedic for the National Ambulance Service in Ireland, based in the West (Galway) and Mid-West (Limerick/Tipperary/Clare) regions. I undertook focused education and gained additional clinical experience in neonatal critical care at Cork University Maternity Hospital and the Mid-Western Regional Maternity Hospital.
I worked as a paramedic in Ireland for several years, and then undertook additional education and clinical experience across several countries in Europe. I then trained as a Critical Care Paramedic in the USA, and gained clinical experience in cardio-thoracic and neuro-trauma ICU. After this I worked as a Paramedic Educator in both the UAE and the USA. In the UAE I was responsible for program development, and clinical governance activities, including on-road clinical supervision and clinical incident investigations. I led the education for both Ebola and MERS responses. I completed a Master of Science in Critical Care, and developed and oversaw a new research department. Subsequently on return to Canada, I completed a PhD in Monash University. Over the past decade I have mainly focused on research and teaching activities, and now work casually as a paramedic when I get the opportunity. I hold current paramedic certifications in Ireland (PHECC registered), the UK (HCPC registered), and Ontario (AEMCA certified).
I am Deputy Editor of Paramedicine, and perform peer review for a number of journals (listed on my Web of Science profile). I also perform peer-review for fellowship, funding, and grant applications for several national and international organisations, and I am a Senior Appraiser with the PEP Project at Dalhousie University. I am former Editor-in-Chief of the Irish Journal of Paramedicine, and Resuscitation Today. I previously sat on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal of Paramedicine, International Paramedic Practice, and Canadian Paramedicine for a number of years.
