Department of Health

Paramedic workforce continues to grow

28/07/22
An ambulance trainee performing CPR on a training dummy

The latest intake of 64 recruits have been welcomed to Ambulance Victoria as they begin work saving lives across the state, and helping our ambulance services meet record levels of demand.

This brings the total number of new paramedics recruited so far in 2022 to 404, including 157 in regional Victoria.

Beginning with a four-week induction program which gives them the vital skills they need before they hit the road, recruits learn how to safely move and load patients to prevent injuries, aggression and assault prevention training, and driving ambulance vehicles to ‘lights and sirens’ cases.

The 64 new recruits will start on road on 22 August. Of these, 46 will go to branches in the Metro Region, two in the Barwon South Region, two in the Loddon Mallee Region, five in the Hume Region, two in the Gippsland Region and seven in the Grampians Region.

Graduate paramedics become fully credentialed after one year, after which they continue professional development and education for their entire careers to help them provide the best care and stay safe while they’re doing so.

Ambulance Victoria recruited 700 paramedics in 2021 – its single largest annual recruitment ever – to help respond to increasing demand with the organisation recently experiencing its busiest two quarters on record.

As part of the Victorian Budget 2022/23, a further $124 million has been invested to put more paramedics on the road.

Watch this video for a glimpse into the beginning of their career, and learn more about careers with Ambulance Victoria.

  • 28 July 2022
  • Duration: 0:30
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Reviewed 28 July 2022

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