Paramedics well and truly understand the consequences of a lack of attention to one’s own health and wellbeing. Although confronted with acute and chronic disease every day, paramedics can paradoxically neglect their own health while working to improve it for their patients. So how can we improve our own health and be always ready to respond?

In this presentation, Dr. Ben Meadley (ASM), will couple contemporary research with practical solutions to ensure you bring your best self to work.

Key topics will include:

• What are the key pillars of health that I should focus on?
• Managing shift work from the new graduate through to the established career paramedic
• Workplace wellbeing programs – do they work and whose responsibility are they?
• Physical standards – an ongoing controversy
• Putting the pillars into practice – key tips for a sustainable career in paramedicine

Biography: Dr. Ben Meadley

Dr Ben Meadley has more than 25 years' experience as a paramedic, gaining expertise in prehospital critical care, paramedic education, and clinical guideline development. Ben is an established researcher, with interests in clinical, health and human performance research. Ben is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Monash University Department of Paramedicine and works in a process improvement role at Ambulance Victoria, where he is also a senior Intensive Care Flight Paramedic. He has a passion for enhancing human performance and building well-functioning systems to ensure paramedics and other professionals are poised to perform at their best. Ben is also a Fellow of the Australasian College of Paramedicine, and he was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal (ASM) in 2023.