AV's newest paramedics will work across Victoria providing Best Care in their communities.
More than 40 new recruits will be heading out across the state next week to start their paramedic careers with Ambulance Victoria (AV).
They have spent the past four weeks undertaking intensive training to equip them with the skills they need to provide life-saving emergency care in their communities across Victoria.
The new recruits will join our more than 5000 on-road paramedics delivering the very best life-saving care everywhere.
AV recruit Pete Geddes will be working in the Shepparton area.
Pete Geddes is one of our newest paramedics and said he realised he was destined to be a paramedic after first working as an Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) with AV.
ACOs are first responders, employed by AV, on a casual basis to work on call and support qualified paramedics in rural and regional communities.
"I vividly remember one of my early shifts and while riding in the ambulance to a job, I had a profound feeling that this is where I'm meant to be," Pete said.
Pete worked as an ACO for more than seven years and received the Ambulance Community Officer to Graduate Ambulance Paramedic scholarship that made his paramedic dream a reality.
"One of the most significant benefits of the scholarship has been the mentorship component. I've been fortunate to work with many exceptional paramedics, but the opportunity to be closely guided and mentored by an experienced professional has been invaluable," he said.
Pete said he is excited to be a paramedic in Shepparton, particularly getting the opportunity to work alongside the paramedics he has come to know in his work as an ACO as well as give back to his local community.
New recruit Sarah O'Brien will be working in the Traralgon area.
Sarah O'Brien has a passion for helping people, working as an ACO with AV, volunteering as a firefighter with the Country Fire Authority, and supporting her community as a Remote Area Nurse.
Growing up on a farm in rural East Gippsland, Sarah said she has always been passionate about regional healthcare and excited to be able to support her community as a paramedic.
"It's a long way to travel even to the closest emergency department and even further to specialists – it's a privilege to be able to support locals to remain in their communities," Sarah said.
"I'm really looking forward to finally starting my paramedicine career with AV and delivering pre-hospital healthcare in a rural and regional environment," she said.
"I've been working closely with the local paramedic crews in East Gippsland for several years and am looking forward to working with them on road and with my emergency department colleagues from a different angle."
