Vanessa from Filey has had a varied career which has taken her across the UK.

She started out volunteering as a crew member with Filey lifeboat when she was 17 and soon after decided she wanted to become a paramedic.

Reflecting on why she chose the profession, Vanessa said: I originally wanted to become a vet, which would have been my first choice as I love animals, but it would have meant spending far too many years at university, so I became a paramedic instead.”

After studying paramedic science at university, Vanessa joined Yorkshire Ambulance Service as a road paramedic and worked out of Scarborough Ambulance Station for five years.

During that time she gained extensive experience responding to emergencies across the region.

She then spent 18 months working in primary healthcare at a village GP practice before moving into police custody where she was a forensic paramedic. Within her role she was responsible for the medical care of the detainees and assisted in taking forensic samples for evidence.

Alongside this, Vanessa has been part of the army reserve since 2019 and is currently the rank of Sergeant, which has provided her with several exciting opportunities including going to Kenya to provide medical cover for the British peace support team.

Before joining GNAAS, Vanessa worked as a critical care paramedic at Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance for five years, where she delivered advanced pre-hospital care.

When asked what she enjoyed the most about being paramedic, she said: “I enjoy the unpredictability of my job, the characters I get to work with and being out and about.

“It’s been a privilege to meet and work with so many awesome people over the last 16 years and I feel lucky to still love the job I went into at 18.”

Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys being active and spending as much time outdoors as possible with her family and their dog. Cycling, paddleboarding, beach days and forest walks are some of her favourite ways to relax when she’s not on shift. She’s also a keen traveller and often spends her days off going on holidays or short breaks away.