Health Service Categories and Careers

A-Z OF SERVICES

Paramedicine is emergency care provided in out-of-hospital environments. Services include ambulance services, military medic services, remote/rescue operations, disaster response and other first-responder emergency care services. See Emergency Medicine for more information. Emergency medical services are made up of a network of first responders, including phone operators, paramedics/ambulances and other retrieval medical services, who link with emergency departments in hospitals and other acute care/trauma care and rehabilitation facilities. Teamwork, communication and decision-making skills are very important parts of paramedicine and emergency care. Services involve multi-disciplinary teams of specialist doctors, nurses, surgeons, emergency responders, drivers, pilots, volunteers and administration staff.

Paramedicine Jobs

Paramedics/Medics provide rapid response and emergency health care in the out-of-hospital environment. They are first responders to medical emergencies, often working without supervision and making critical decisions. They assess, stabilise and manage patients, transport them to health facilities, and provide patient records/handover for further care. Paramedics are university qualified and registered with the Paramedicine Board of Australia. Medic roles are available in the private sector or Australian Defence Force, and can be pursued via TAFE and other internal training pathways.