Damian MacKenzie, an Ambulance Technician in Nottinghamshire, has been interviewed by Civvy Street Magazine about his experience of civilian resettlement after leaving the Armed Forces. Damian was invited by the magazine to reflect on his time in the military, his resettlement journey, and his career so far in the ambulance service.
Damian served for eight years in the British Army. He was deployed on three combat tours and trained as a Class 1 Combat Medical Technician. He's always had a passion for medicine and helping people - and that led him to explore a career in the ambulance service.
After leaving the military, he attended a recruitment event hosted by Step Into Health, where he learned about opportunities at EMAS.
"A representative from EMAS was there and said that if you are a veteran and you meet the requirements in the job specification, [EMAS] can give you a guaranteed interview. I ticked the box for Veteran and made sure I showed how I met the spec in my application, and they offered me an interview - and that was it!
All of my medical background [from the Army] was transferable straight into EMAS, so it was nice to be able to go straight in. I knew the job and it’s a well-structured organisation with great opportunities for progression."
Now a qualified Technician, Damian is out on the road in Nottinghamshire, responding to emergency 999 calls and providing life-saving care.
"I wanted to serve my community and I’m now working around the area where I live and I know people.
I’m a clinician and I can make clinical judgments and treat patients; and if they need conveying into the hospital, I do. I love this role because of the huge variety of different jobs we do; it always keeps you on your toes. One moment, you’re going to an elderly lady who’s taken a fall, and then you’ll go to someone whose heart has stopped, and you’re doing CPR on them... No two days are the same."
Damian is a member of the EMAS Armed Forces Staff Network and one of our Armed Forces Champions. He's passionate about ensuring veterans in the community receive appropriate medical and mental health support. He also wants to encourage service leavers to explore resettlement opportunities with the ambulance service.
"As an Armed Forces Champion, if I go out to a veteran in the community who’s struggling with mental health, say, or housing, or is having a crisis, I know where to signpost them to get the right help. There are so many organisations I can help that person get into contact with to support them. And within EMAS, I can help support ambulance staff who are also veterans. They know they can come to me for any support or just for a chat. I can also help to signpost them to the right places too. For instance, with a service leaver who’s just come out of the Army, I would be able to help them integrate into the organisation. When you’re a veteran yourself, you speak the veteran language, so you can make them feel that bit more welcome and at their ease."
Damian knows - from his own resettlement experience and from working with other veterans and reservists - that military personnel bring a range of valuable skills to the ambulance service and the NHS.
"Confidence is a big one and I have good situational awareness. I’ve got people skills as well; especially with the older generation and the wartime veterans. I just like caring for people. Another thing about veterans is that we’re very loyal to our employers, punctual and smartly turned out. I like to be smart and my boots are always ‘bulled’ because that’s the way I want to represent my organisation – just like I did in the Military, with pride!"
