By Stephanie Nixon, QAS Advanced Care Paramedic

Charleville, Bidjara Country

Paramedic employment opportunities are not as they once were. Traditionally, most paramedics worked only within jurisdictional ambulance services (JAS) or within the defence force, and these were seen as lifelong employers. These agencies had strict employment and governance practices and offered differing paramedic skills and roles within the specific organisation.

The paramedic landscape started changing with the introduction of private organisations such as mining and event medics, which became an avenue for paramedic employment. In Australia, this led to the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council giving advice as to whether paramedics should be a registered profession for public safety in 2010 (Health workforce principal committee, 2012). The advent of registration has opened the path for some interesting and unique employment opportunities for all stages of the paramedic career journey. In this article, we will look at some of the common options, as well as emerging opportunities for new graduates within the profession. Individual circumstances and lifestyles will determine the option that is best for each person.

Undergraduate

Studying is an intense process and being able to gain employment in the medical field while studying can be beneficial in cementing the concepts being learned, as well as gaining industry experience. While not all ambulance services employ students as part of their acute roles, all offer some form of employment opportunity for undergraduates. This varies depending on the JAS but ranges from patient transport officers and call centre roles to volunteer positions.

These roles can enable students to undertake relevant workplace experience within their potential future employer’s organisation and provide them with relevant and meaningful insight and understanding of how the organisation operates prior to committing after graduation. Many JAS allow students to apply for graduate positions with them during the last six months of their paramedic degree.

If you are looking for roles outside of the JAS while studying, there are multiple options. Some of these include private event medic organisations such as Mr Paramedic, 1300 Medics or Event Medics. Generally, these roles involve working with a team and covers of a range of events such as large sporting events, music festivals, motorsports, horse events, school sports and running/cycling events. There are also other options such as surf/pool lifesavers, phlebotomist and first aid trainer, and while they do require a financial cost and time output to gain certificates, they are all good options for those wanting to gain some first-hand experience in the medical field.

Graduate

About 2,400 students graduate from universities in Australia each year and only half find employment in the JAS within Australia (Australasian College of Paramedicine, 2022). Graduate entry through an Australian JAS often involves providing a resume, some form of immunisation history, an academic transcript, a medical examination, psychometric assessment, criminal history check, and evidence of AHPRA registration.

The application processes can take weeks or months, and even if you make merit you may end up on an extended waiting list depending on the services recruitment availability. These graduate programs contain a form of supervised practice and learning before transitioning into a fully qualified paramedic. Some ambulance services in Australia offer alternative pathways to graduates, such as in Western Australia where they offer a Medic Program that allows new graduates to work for 12 months in their role and then apply internally for an internship position after the successful completion of that term.

Ahpra does not have a formal requirement for a graduate supervision period, but describes it as an important developmental tool which allows for a graduate to be employed in a paramedic capacity within a private organisation without the need for a formal graduate year if that is not a requirement of that specific job description (Ahpra, 2021). Undergraduates can be employed through a private organisation prior to graduation. The organisation may update your qualifications and put you into the paramedic role with additional training after a set period of time. Undergraduates can also apply to multiple private organisations that may provide their own training programs relevant to their industry or clientele. If you are unsure, you can always reach out to a private employer and find out the requirements for a paramedic role within their organisation.

Another potential avenue for employment is overseas postings. Overseas employment will be dependent on the requirements of the receiving organisation and subject to the visa regulations of the specific country and that country’s registration requirements for paramedics. A good example is the London Ambulance Service, which requires you to be registered as a paramedic in the UK, transition your driver’s licence to a UK licence, and obtain a visa to work in the UK.

It is highly recommended that you consider where you wish to be based after graduation and start exploring the many options to determine the best path for your individual circumstances. Paramedicine is a highly skilled and highly competitive field to enter but the rewards are amazing!

I’m a few years out, what else is there?

Anything and everything becomes more available after your first few years in paramedicine. Many private companies, especially those based around mining, generally ask for two years of paramedic experience as a minimum standard. There are many job opportunities that are available without further education, such as paramedics within schools, sporting venues, cruise ships, film sets, fly in fly out (FIFO) work locations, tourist theme parks, and travel insurance employers. While those are clinical examples, there are also non-clinical roles, such as university marker/lecturer and researcher. JAS offer managerial pathways, policy marker pathways, and clinical educator pathways for paramedics within the organisation. May JAS are now offering work within their secondary triage, which offers call-back services and the possibility to refer to alternative services.

Further education by way of a critical care certificate/diploma/masters opens the door to options for further FIFO opportunities, flight paramedic opportunities, or as a critical care paramedic within JAS. Further education in community paramedic/paramedic practitioner/extended care could open job opportunities such as working within hospitals, clinics, schools, or low-acuity care within the JAS.

There are certificates available in emergency response and rescue that give you FIFO job options. Experienced paramedics may wish to specialise by undergoing further study to complete a healthcare in remote and extreme conditions certificate/degree that will covers topics around cold, height, underwater and aerospace that opens options for expeditions up mountains, adventures in the snow, film sets in amazing locations, and maybe one day a trip into space. Then there is always the option to complement your paramedic degree, whether it be public health, disaster management, imaging, or midwifery. But it doesn’t end there; complete a pathway to do research or a PhD to drive the professional research body forward or teach at one of the many universities and bring through the next generation of paramedics. For creative people, there are also opportunities such as writing a book about your experiences, starting a podcast, authoring learning modules, or writing articles in magazines.

Paramedicine is evolving and paramedics are finding themselves working in places never previously considered. While JAS are the main employers and always will be, there are numerous opportunities for undergraduates, graduates, and qualified paramedics in the private sector and globally.

As UK journalist Katherine Whitehorn said: “Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for doing it”.

References

Ahpra. (2021). FAQ: Students and graduates. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://www.paramedicineboard.gov.au/Qualifications/Students-and-graduates.aspx

Health workforce principal committee (2012). Consultation paper: Options for regulation of paramedics. Retrieved April 15, 2024, from https://oia.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/posts/2012/07/options_for_regulation_of_paramedics_consultation_paper.pdf