Paramedic students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie will include fitness training in their professional preparation, starting with fitness testing on Thursday 9 May. Mr Joe Acker, senior lecturer in the paramedic program at CSU’s School of Biomedical Sciences in Port Macquarie, said, “We are running a baseline fitness test for our paramedic students with the goal 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 outside CSU’s Port Macquarie Campus, on the council sports field, from 12.30pm to 3.30pm Thursday 9 May.