Tomorrow is World Health Day, and it’s worth remembering that year after year, the most trusted people in Australia, more trusted than firefighters or even mothers, are ambulance officers.

 

For three successive years in the Readers Digest Magazine Annual Survey, ambulance paramedics have topped the trust list, and that isn’t expected to change when the 2006 list comes out next month.

 

It’s also a highly sought-after vocation. Applications easily outstrip placements, and the Ambulance Service of NSW selection process takes up to eight months to complete. To gain an edge, applicants can do a Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic).

 

Dr Peter O'Meara, Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has almost completed his research project, Beyond Emergency Response. He says there is a strong national trend towards graduate-only recruitment. “All the ambulance services in Australia are gradually getting out of in-house programs. It’s happened in Victoria, in South Australia and Western Australia, and it’s in process elsewhere.”

 

CSU was the first university to offer pre-hospital care education in Australia. Veronica Madigan, senior lecturer and PHC (pre-hospital care) course coordinator says applications are increasing every year. “When I started in 1999 we had 35 students the first year, we now have 150. It’s one of the strongest growing disciplines in all of the CSU campuses. The double degree, nursing and paramedic, is the most popular double degree CSU offers.”

 

It takes a special kind of person to provide focused and compassionate care in an emergency situation, so who tends to enrol in the Bachelor of Clinical Practice? Veronica Madigan explains. “If you look at distance education, you’ve got ambulance officers, army, navy or air force medics, and registered nurses who are looking at coming across to the ambulance service to do some emergency pre-hospital care medicine.”

 

Meanwhile, internal student applicants are assessed on the basis of probability of success, not on UAI score alone. The University also has a special enrolment scheme that recognises applicants coming from a rural or remote background. Like most other health professions, ambulance officers are in short supply in regional areas. Ms Madigan says “if people come from the bush, it’s more than likely they do want to go back to the bush.

 

“This University started pre-hospital care education in Australia. We pioneered the work. We are now the first to take a mid year intake. We work closely with the NSW Ambulance Service on curriculum and they employ the majority of our graduates. Others go to the Metropolitan Ambulance Service and the Rural Ambulance Victoria. Some now work in Queensland, Tasmania, and ACT. So it’s popular within the industry, and it’s popular for the internal students. They just love it.”