Sixty-four paramedic recruits will hit the road on August 22, heading off to stations across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
It brings the total number of new paramedics recruited so far this year to 404 — with 157 joining crews in regional Victoria.
Beginning with a four-week induction program, which gives them the vital skills they need before they hit the road, recruits learn how to safely move and load patients to prevent injuries, receive aggression and assault prevention training, and are taught about driving ambulance vehicles to ‘lights and sirens’ cases.
Graduate paramedics become fully credentialed after one year, after which they continue professional development and education for their entire careers.
The Victorian Government allocated $35 million this year to fast-track the recruitment of 120 paramedics, who started in May.
As part of the Victorian budget 2022/23, a further $124 million has been invested to put even more paramedics on the road and build on record recruitment levels.
“We recruited 700 new paramedics last year — and we’re on track to do the same this year,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“Despite the challenges health systems across Australia are facing, we’ll keep delivering the resources and infrastructure our paramedics need, so they can keep delivering the best possible care to Victorians.”
Ambulance Victoria has had a significant increase in workload, experiencing its busiest two quarters on record this year.