Work in groups. You’re going to watch a video about cycle response paramedics at London Heathrow Airport. Look at the photos and discuss the questions.

1. What is a cycle response paramedic responsible for?

2. What accidents and emergency cases can he/she deal with?

3. What equipment do you think they carry with them?

4. How many cycle response paramedics do you think there are at London Heathrow Airport?

 

 

While you watch

2. Watch the interview with Ben, one of the cycle response paramedics at London Heathrow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHnimMZDj0A) and check your answers in Ex.1.

Watch the video again. Decide if the statements here are True (T) or False (F).

1. Cycle Response Paramedics carry most of the equipment in front of the bike.

2. There are 300 defibrillators around the airport.

3. Ben says that London Heathrow Airport is the safest place to have a toothache.

4. They try to carry as little as possible on their bikes.

5. They have a set of blue lights, a siren and a cycle bell on their bikes.

6. Their working day is quite predictable.

7. Their patients are usually grateful to paramedics.

8. Ben is not a very humble person.

After you watch

Work in pairs. Student A is the cycle response paramedic at London Heathrow Airport. Student B is the journalist who is preparing an article about unusual medical professions for MedLife journal. Look at the information on the cards below and spend a few minutes preparing what you are going to say.

STUDENT A: CYCLE RESPONSE PARAMEDIC

Use the following prompts and invent the details yourself:

 

· why you decided to become a paramedic

· how long you have been working as a cycle response paramedic

· what your typical day is like

· what you find the most difficult in your work

· some unusual situations you have faced during your work

·                                                                                  

·                                                                                 .

(additional answers)

STUDENT B: JOURNALIST

Think about the questions you are going to ask Student B. You need to find out about:

 

· why he decided to become a paramedic

· how long he has been working as a cycle response paramedic

· about his typical working day

· what he finds the most difficult in his work

· about unusual situations he has faced during his work

·                                                                                

·                                                                                       .

(2 more questions)

You are now ready to roleplay your conversation.

5. A 1001 Nights in the ER is a book written by Baptiste Beaulieu. It tells a story of a 27 year- old intern who becomes fond of a terminally ill female patient. Her only son can’t make it to her bedside because of the volcanic ash from Iceland. The doctor decides to cheat death and gain time. Like a Scheherazade, he tells her stories, funny and tragic, about life at the hospital. Go to http://www.litmir.co/br/?b=238885 and read some chapters from the book. Then write two or three patient summaries.