1. excellence in care Become a Paramedic with Ambulance

2. excellence in care What is a Paramedic? >A health care professional with specialised training to respond to medical emergencies and provide patient care.

3. excellence in care What does a Paramedic do? >Responding to triple zero calls and providing emergency medical assistance is a paramedic’s primary responsibility >Paramedics are trained to be first responders >Assess the scene for safety issues >Determine how to treat or stabilise the patient’s condition until they can get to a hospital >When they arrive at the emergency room at a hospital, they conduct a handover to ER nurses and doctors >What types of injuries do they treat?

4. excellence in care What can the Paramedic do? >When the paramedic has worked out what is wrong with the patient, they use their skills to help stabilise the situation >Air way management >Ventilation of patients >Basic life support – eg CPR >Managing blood loss >Pain management >Drug therapy >Spinal injury management >Fracture management >Assisting with childbirth, obstetric emergencies >Management of burns

5. excellence in care Day in the Life >Shift work (day shifts and night shifts) >Work with another paramedic (take turns in treating patients and in driving) >Work with a range of people during the day (control centre operators, patient transport, nurses, doctors, police and other emergency services)

6. excellence in care Interesting Places Paramedics work >On the road side >In the city >Out and about >Major events >Construction sites >At the airport >NSW has different areas: the beaches, regional cities, rural towns, snow and alpine areas.

7. excellence in care Our services to the people of NSW? >Aero-medical Retrieval - Fixed Wing and Helicopter >Patient Transport >Motorcycle (Paramedic Specialists) >Special Casualty Access Teams >Snow Operations >Paramedic Specialists >Emergency Transport >Triple 0 Operations co-ordinating responses >Special Operations and Counter Disaster.

8. excellence in care Career Pathways >Clinical: Paramedics, Paramedic Specialists – Intensive Care or Extended Care, SCAT & Special Operations, Education, Ambulance Research Institute, Patient Safety and Clinical Quality >Non-Clinical: Control Centres (call takers) >Management: Team Leader, Station Manager, District Manager, Divisional Management team >Corporate: Health Management, Workforce, Public Affairs.

9. excellence in care Training to become a Paramedic >Enrol at university for either the 2 year or 3 year degree (one course is an accelerated program) >5 weeks at Ambulance Education Centre (Rozelle, Sydney) >30 weeks on road experience / with clinical mentor >In-service 2 - final 3 weeks at Ambulance Education Centre = become a qualified Paramedic

10. excellence in care Recruitment Stages >Application with good Driving Record >Testing for occupational suitability >Interview >Health Assessments >Vaccinations >Working With Children Check >Referee and Conduct & Service Check

11. excellence in care Conditions of Employment >Base starting salary $903 per week >Plus shift penalties (Trainees can earn $60K) >Shift work based on 38 hours per week >Roster cycle of rotated shifts over weekdays, weekends and public holidays >Maximum shift length 12 hours >Uniforms provided >Six weeks annual leave after 12 months employment

12. excellence in care University Entry >A degree in Paramedic practice >Charles Sturt University – Bathurst >University of Tasmania - Sydney

13. excellence in care How to Enrol to Study a Paramedic Degree >Visit the University Admissions Centre website and apply on-line at; www.uac.edu.au

14. excellence in care Further Information >If you would like to know more about being a Paramedic more information is available at www.csu.edu.au/study/science-courses/paramedic/ www.utas.edu.au www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au