Ambulance Victoria (AV) has recruited 61 graduate paramedics who will start the new year with a new career, saving lives across Victoria.
Interim Chief Executive Officer Andrew Crisp and Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas welcomed the group of new recruits.
Interim Chief Executive Officer Andrew Crisp and Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas today welcomed a group of new recruits as they get ready to join paramedic crews in 2025.
"Our paramedics, volunteers and support staff are our greatest assets," Mr Crisp said.
"It is through them that AV continues to lead the way in patient care, including one of the best cardiac arrest survival rates in the world.
"We now have more than 5,000 on-road paramedics delivering the very best lifesaving care, everywhere, and it's great to see more joining our ranks across Melbourne and regional Victoria."
The 61 graduate paramedics will start the new year with a new career, saving lives across Victoria.
On 9 December 2024, the latest intake of 40 new graduate paramedics started their careers at AV with a four-week operational induction program.
The intake is made up of 30 graduate paramedics who will work on Medium Acuity Transport Service (MATS) teams across metropolitan Melbourne and 10 graduate paramedics going to regional ambulance branches in Hamilton, Ballarat, Sebastopol, Yarrawonga, Benalla, Wangaratta, Wodonga, Echuca and Mildura.
The group also includes four Ambulance Community Officers (ACOs) who, through the GAP program, will become qualified paramedics and continue to provide care to communities in regional Victoria.
They will all hit the road on Monday 6 January 2025. On the same day, another intake of 21 graduate paramedics will begin induction and hit the road on Monday 3 February 2025.
The recruits all undertake a comprehensive operational induction program giving them the 'real world' skills they need to hit the road with experienced paramedics.
The recruits all undertake a comprehensive operational induction program giving them the 'real world' skills they need to hit the road with experienced paramedics.
Mr Crisp said since the introduction of Australia's first ambulance officers training course in 1961, Victoria has remained a leader in paramedic education.
"In Victoria, we are proud to have some of the most highly trained and skilled paramedics in Australia," Mr Crisp said.
"During their induction, our new recruits learn vital skills such as safely moving and loading patients to prevent inquiries, aggression and assault prevention, and safely driving ambulance vehicles."
"Over the course of their program, graduate paramedics work to become qualified paramedics. They initially work under the direct supervision of clinical instructors to assist with the transition from the classroom to their role as paramedics."
"However, training continues throughout their entire careers to ensure patients receive the very best, and most up-to-date life-saving care - and paramedics stay safe while they are doing so."
"Like all our hardworking paramedics, these new recruits have chosen this path because they are compassionate and courageous and want to make a difference to the community."
"It takes a special kind of person to do that, and I wish them all long and rewarding careers at AV."
AV has undertaken record recruitment in recent years, with a 53 per cent increase in on-road clinical staff over the past decade. In 2023-24, 258 paramedic employees were recruited by AV.
