Fitness training will be included in the professional preparation of paramedic students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst, starting with fitness testing for 163 students on Wednesday 15 May. Ms Amanda Hlushak, associate lecturer in the paramedic program at CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences in Bathurst, said, “The aim of running a baseline fitness test for our paramedic students is to make them more fit and more employable by the end of their three-year course. Paramedic wellness, fitness awareness and physical training will also help reduce on-job injuries, reduce occupational stress and enable longer careers. The students will be in uniform and will be doing a weighted stretcher carry, an endurance step-test, and an obstacle course. The obstacle course will include job-specific tasks including the carrying of paramedic equipment, strength tasks, and doing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).” The testing will take place at the gymnasium in the CD Blake Auditorium (building E1, on Village Drive) and on the adjacent playing fields at CSU in Bathurst, starting on the hour from 8am to 6pm Wednesday 15 May.