The National Rural Health Alliance, the peak body for rural and remote health in Australia, has released new research that illustrates the breadth and diversity of the paramedic workforce in Australia.
The fact sheet published by the Alliance is available at https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/sites/default/files/publications/paramedic-fact-sheet.pdf
The analysis, which comes from Paramedicine Board of Australia and Productivity Commission data, has been undertaken with the assistance of Adj Assoc Prof Ray Bange, HFANZCP, HFPA.
“This data shows that the paramedic workforce is more diverse than many people would imagine,” said National Rural Health Alliance board member Dr Peter O’Meara.
“Of over 17,000 registered paramedics in Australia, while many of them are employed by ambulance services, over 4,700 are not.
“In fact there are over 100 other employers of paramedics in the public or private sector. This includes aeromedical retrieval and helicopter rescue services, surf lifesaving, resource companies, non-emergency patient transport organisations, event first aid providers, universities and the Defence Force.”
Dr O’Meara said that the Alliance has also published five personal stories (available at https://www.ruralhealth.org.au/personal_stories/paramedics) of registered paramedics working across rural and remote Australia.
“These stories highlight the diverse nature of paramedicine and the vastly different environments in which registered paramedics work.
“It’s clear that all five of the registered paramedics who have agreed to tell their story work incredibly hard and play a vital role in their rural and remote communities.”
