Reflection of a clinical emergency

Paula O'Sullivan

Until 2018, I spent most of my career working with critically ill children and eventually progressed to becoming a clinical educator with the resuscitation team at a well-known London children's hospital. My role included teaching advanced resuscitation skills to all levels of professionals, ensuring that their skills were of the highest standard when dealing with the deteriorating patient and the patient in cardiac arrest. On my non-teaching days, I was part of the resuscitation team, and would be called out in the event of a clinical emergency.

I began my medical aesthetics business 6 months prior to leaving my role as a resuscitation officer, as being a busy parent to my two young daughters and simultaneously working this fast-paced role proved challenging, both physically and mentally. Since leaving the role, I have kept up to date with my resuscitation training, with my most recent update being in February 2021, when I enrolled with the vaccination team as an ad-hoc clinical supervisor.