What do Emergency Medicine and Extreme Sports have in common?

What do Extreme Sports and Emergency Medicine have in common?

Mindfulness and safety: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast”. Take your time and don’t take shortcuts!

Joe Karlek: It’s about allowing yourself time to think. There are so many transferrable skills between emergency medicine and skydiving, or any extreme sport. You know, it’s sort of that flow state. And again, that links into mindfulness, which is why I am where I am.

Ben Cleaver: That is such an important concept to grasp in all areas of life. One thing that mindfulness practice, like meditation, has taught me. I am no guru, but just approaching life, parenting, work, in a way that’s not a panic. But actually, if I give myself a few seconds to breathe here, yes, someone is in trouble, but if I can operate out of those base principles, and I can do that systematically and not rush here and there, I’m actually going to give them the most accurate care.

The above video is a clip from the Changing Lives Podcast, with Clinical Paramedic Educator, Joe Karlek. Joe goes on to say “people feel the pressure of a crisis situation and they feel the need to be perfect. To do things as quick as humanly possible, but it’s not about that. It’s about doing things safely.”

In the podcast episode, Ben and Joe discuss:

  • Life in the London Ambulance Service
  • The crossover skills of skydiving and paramedicine
  • Joe’s passion for the art of teaching
  • Importance of structure and calm in emergency medicine
  • Being a paramedic with autism
  • What mindfulness is and its power and potential for emergency health care workers
  • And much more!

You can watch the full episode here:

🎬 YouTube — http://ow.ly/lX7850DAbR5
🎧 Apple Podcasts — https://apple.co/2ZTwZMS
🎧 Spotify — https://spoti.fi/3govYCB
🎧 Google Podcasts — https://bit.ly/2ZHUGI1

Joe grew up in the UK, where he studied and became a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service, before moving to Australia to operate a private paramedic practice and service professional athletes, the NRL and Warner Bros Studios.

For the last 5 years Joe was a lecturer of paramedicine at the University of Tasmania, before joining the training team at Australian Paramedical College.

Joe is also autistic and in this interview, he discusses how he has had to stare down personal challenges and find a way to use them to his advantage. He says being a paramedic and an educator are a few of his superpowers, along with skydiving and mindfulness, which he credits as giving him an edge as a practitioner and educator.

Paramedics are some of the most unique and surprisingly fascinating individuals you’ll ever meet. Their journey begins with a drive to understand and help. They experience humanity at their best and worst times and develop empathy for those from all walks of life. They thrive under pressure and through necessity learn how to deal with physical, mental and emotional stresses, and often overcome personal challenges in creative and sometimes extreme or even quirky ways!


About the Australian Paramedical College

The Australian Paramedical College is the largest pre-hospital health care training provider in Australia, we can help you to achieve your paramedical pathway training and career goals

We offer three courses in the emergency healthcare sector:

Our nationally recognised paramedical pathway training programs provide a flexible and affordable training pathway to employment in the private sector, or as a stepping stone to university to study a Bachelor of Paramedic Science. APC offers you the opportunity to become an Emergency Healthcare Practitioner, regardless of your educational background. We believe you should still pursue your goals even if your school or college grades are not what they could have been.

We live in an era where anything is possible when you put your mind to it. With advances in online learning technology and teaching methodologies, it’s now easier than ever to fit study around your lifestyle. There is no reason why you can not follow your dreams and become that person who saves lives and contributes to the well-being of the community. Apply to study at the College.

What is your career journey?

To discover how you can become a fully qualified Ambulance Paramedic or Basic/Advanced Life Support Medic, complete a personalised paramedical career development plan.