A paramedic has been awarded the Commissioner’s Conspicuous Service Medal for her courageous efforts to rescue a patient who had been suffering a manic episode for two days.
While she was still a trainee paramedic, Shian Watson was part of a job that would earn her the second highest NSW Ambulance honour for bravery.
Shian, 24, was presented with the Commissioner’s Conspicuous Service Medal in May 2022 after she courageously rescued a patient who attempted to jump head-first from a three-storey window.
Her partner on the day, Paramedic Chris Peck, had earlier been awarded the medal for his efforts during the incident.
“It’s an honour to receive such a high award,” Shian said.“But it’s not at all why I joined NSW Ambulance.
I don’t go to work every day wanting to win an award – I just want to do what’s best for my patients.”
Just a month before Shian became a P1 paramedic, she and Chris were called to the harrowing December 2020 job, which saw them having to grab the patient by her legs and pull her back over a railing to safety.
Both paramedics were injured by the patient – who had been suffering a manic episode for two days – before they managed to restrain and sedate her.
“I learnt a lot from that job and found it a really educational experience,” Shian said.
“It was the first job where I’ve seen the duress button activated (by Chris) on the radio.
“I’ve had other clinically challenging jobs but this was definitely one of the more stressful ones.”
Shian’s dad Matthew drove four hours to see his daughter receive the prestigious award.
“It was certainly nice to have dad there to support me,” she said.
The ceremony, held at the Fire and Rescue NSW Emergency Services Academy at Orchard Hills, also saw several other paramedics from the Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains Sector receive awards.