6 Mar 2025
Accelerating Action this International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day to celebrate the achievements of women, and to raise awareness about women’s equality. Taking place on Saturday 8 March, the 2025 theme is Accelerate Action, so we are taking the opportunity to highlight women working in Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and recently caught up with Dr Lesley – one of the most recent doctors to join EAAA – to learn more about her path to working in HEMS.
“I joined EAAA in early February this year. I work in a team with a critical care paramedic and two pilots to deliver specialist life-saving care to the most unwell patients.
Leaving school, I wasn’t quite sure what path I wanted my life to take. Whilst studying for a degree in Neuroscience I took a role as a listening volunteer with the Samaritans. I found the work so rewarding – particularly the privilege of being there for someone in their moment of crisis. A career as a doctor seemed the perfect way to combine this with my interest in medical science. After my undergraduate degree, I went on to study post graduate medicine and the rest is history!
I remember learning about pre-hospital care early on as a medical student and fell in love from the first exposure. I love the challenge of managing the most unwell and critical patients, and the added unpredictability of your surroundings. I’ve always had an interest in how our communication can affect team performance, and in such a complex and high stakes environment these human factors become even more impactful.
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Read More... >I truly believe this is the best job in the world; I pinch myself every day that I am in the position to have a career doing something I enjoy so much.
I joined EAAA, myself and other doctors new to the charity underwent an intense, week-long course. Experienced HEMS clinicians simulated complex and challenging cases they had attended, and performance was debriefed to identify learning and development. Despite spending much of my life in education I don’t think I’ve ever learnt so much in such a short space of time!
We ran through a number of common emergencies, procedures and theory, allowing us to practise the skills we would need to deliver care in the prehospital setting.
There is so much I enjoy about my role at EAAA. I feel I am learning all the time; not only about the clinical work, but also about myself. I leave each shift excited for my next.
It’s such a privilege to be entrusted to care for someone on the worst day of their life. I think the greatest reward is discovering that the interventions that we performed have led to a patient having a good recovery; it really makes you feel like your skills are making a tangible difference to someone’s life.
HEMS is a great career choice for women for the same reason it is a great career choice for anybody. You have the chance to put everything that medical science has to offer into delivering the absolute best care - and the potential to make such a difference to their recovery. It’s varied, challenging and incredibly rewarding.
— Dr Lesley
On a personal level, I want my children to grow up proud of who their parents are. I want them to see that they live in a world where their value isn’t limited by their gender, and they too can achieve their dreams.
Pre-hospital care (HEMS) and the aviation industry has traditionally been a very male-dominated field and lacked in diversity. In recent years things are improving, but currently the speciality still lacks the diversity that you might find in other areas of medicine.
To be able to serve our patients we need to represent them. The way I see it, it’s about clinicians having a range of backgrounds, experiences and outlooks. Women bring a different approach to communication and a different viewpoint of priorities and beliefs. It is so important that we are able to introduce this diversity in thought and perspective throughout the field of pre-hospital medicine, so that we can deliver the best care possible for our patients.
Pre-hospital care is a challenging and exciting career, guaranteeing a journey of lifelong learning and the opportunity to work alongside some of the most talented and caring clinicians. I’d love to see more women joining the field and enjoying this incredible job that I enjoy so much.”
