Careers - Paramedics


	- Recruitment Process
	- Paramedics
	- Patient Transport Service Officers
	- Call-takers
	- Ambulance Dispatchers
	- Volunteers


	Paramedics Where will I work? Ongoing Education	Working Conditions Career Development


	Most of our emergency personnel are paramedics. They attend emergency (life-threatening) cases and work within guidelines that assist them in applying the most appropriate treatment. Paramedics attend cases such as cardiac and respiratory emergencies, births, car accidents and hazardous material threats.


	SAAS paramedics are trained to administer emergency patient care treatment. Students are required to complete the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Paramedic), followed by a paid 6-month graduate internship.


	Graduates of the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Paramedic) are eligible to apply for employment with SAAS as paramedics, communication coordinators and call takers. Graduates can also seek employment in ambulance services across the country.





	Paramedics work on rotating rosters that cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are various shift configurations, each of which is followed by four days off. Paramedics at some country stations will also be required to work on-call as part of their normal roster. This means being available for call-out over a 24-hour period.



	Reasonable post-shift overtime may be required.


	Only a small number of all our emergency work is in response to vehicle accidents. The largest proportion of our work is in patients' homes in response to a medical condition, such as a heart attack or asthma. Two paramedics make up a crew. One drives while the other attends to the patient. They alternate these roles between cases. Paramedics are often required to drive an ambulance under stressful conditions at high speeds. In the case of a seriously ill/injured patient, a second ambulance will be dispatched, if possible. The two paramedics will be in the back of the ambulance treating the patient on the way to hospital, ensuring the highest possible level of patient care.


	During the initial training period, students are allocated to a particular station, taking into account residential location (where possible) and available training positions.


	Education is ongoing throughout a paramedic's career. Paramedics are re-accredited annually. Paramedics of all levels are expected to maintain and continuously improve their clinical skills and knowledge. This is done through individual self-motivated study plans, team training, and major exercises involving a number of staff, such as mock crash demonstrations. Resources and training are provided but a high level of personal motivation is required by the individual paramedic.


	With considerable further study qualified paramedics can go on to become intensive care paramedics (ICPs), team leaders, or Special Operations Team (SOT) rescue paramedics.


	Once qualified, a paramedic can apply for the Intensive Care Paramedic Program: approximately 12 months of further theoretical and practical study, plus an internship. Intensive care paramedics are SAAS's most senior clinicians. They are qualified to administer advanced emergency procedures. The Intensive Care Paramedic Program was introduced in South Australia to advance the clinical skills of our paramedics and to provide a higher standard of clinical care to the South Australian community.



	Team leaders provide clinical leadership and administrative management for their team. They are qualified intensive care paramedics who have completed extra training in people management; occupational health, safety and welfare; and major incident management.


	SOT rescue paramedics are trained in high-risk rescue procedures. Working closely with other emergency services and the SA Police STAR Division, our SOT paramedics participate in search and rescue, rescue by helicopter, cliff rescues and also attend at armed sieges.

Disclaimer

Revised 11 September 2008