AN air ambulance paramedic who serves Oxfordshire has become "one of the UK's elite".

Jo Jefferies, a member of the Thames Valley Air Ambulance medical crew, is one of the first paramedics in the UK to gain a Diploma in Immediate Medical Care (DIMC).

Serving as a member of the Thames Valley crew since 2010, she passed her DIMC through the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Until recently this was an examination for doctors only.

The charity which funds the air ambulance said the achievement was a "shining example" of its commitment to developing and enhancing its emergency service.

Ms Jefferies, who also works for the South Central Ambulance Service, said: "I'm very pleased to have passed, and slightly surprised, but I did have some tremendous support which got me out of the starting blocks.

"I would absolutely encourage any one of my colleagues to go for it. It was certainly hard work, but it is achievable and hugely rewarding."

Ms Jefferies, who lives in Berkshire, was the first of TVAA’s paramedics to be awarded support from the TVAA Scholarship Scheme.

The fund was set up to help medical staff improve their clinical skills in pre-hospital emergency medicine.

Charity trustee Dr Michael Ward, a retired consultant anaesthetist and ambulance medical director, said: "I am delighted that Joanna has been successful in her recent higher examinations, and that through the recently introduced TVAA Scholarship she was awarded was able to achieve her ambitions.

"Joanna is a role model by her practice and attitude."