About Us

The only thing that’s certain is the time he starts his shift; everything in between remains unpredictable and that is what makes the job exciting. 

Karl joined Wellington Free Ambulance in 2017 as a volunteer Event Medic. At the time he was studying paramedicine at Whitireia.

“Wellington Free was the obvious choice after graduating as I believe that emergency services should be free to use for all who need them,” Karl says.

Karl is one of our graduate interns at Wellington Free and has been on the road with Green Shift since November.

Looking back at his first day on the job, Karl explains that it was pretty eventful.

He started the day on patient care. The first job assigned to him and his crewmate was at 7am with a patient who was in a critical condition due to septic shock.

The serious status of the patient meant that back up from an Intensive Care Paramedic and RSI (Rapid Sequence Intubation) qualified medic was required as the patient needed airway interventions, IV antibiotics and rapid transport through to hospital.

“The first few months of the internship were a little stressful, adjusting to shift work and learning all the ins and outs of the job. But once that learning curve was out of the way it was super enjoyable and meant I could settle in to my role and focus on learning everything I could from my preceptors.”

Karl’s current preceptor is Jacob Forde. He explains that it has been great working with Jacob as he is super knowledgeable and keeps calm under pressure, which makes for a great working environment.

That said, Karl says everyone on Green Shift is well-led and highly-motivated.

After working on Green Shift for almost a year, Karl has some advice for future graduates.

“Don't get caught up in chasing the 'big' jobs. Take the time to find satisfaction in doing the regular jobs well and enjoy getting to meet all sorts of interesting people along the way.”