History and Evolution of Paramedic Practice in Australia

Running head: HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF PARAMEDIC PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA
HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF PARAMEDIC PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA
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1HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF PARAMEDIC PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA
Along with healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurse and pharmacist, paramedic
plays vital role in the healthcare industry. It is the paramedics who acts in times of emergencies
and for years their roles have evolved within the framework of healthcare (Stanley, Hom &
Joiner, 2016). A paramedic is highly skilled and trained medical professional who is educated in
order to carry out some of the duties of a physician. A paramedic in Australia is a healthcare
professional position requires developed skills in this specific field along with training for years
as it deals with all types of medical and trauma emergencies outside of a hospital setting before
and during transportation to a medical facility. The paper aims to discuss the history and
evolution of paramedic practice in Australia. The essay will discuss the Australian ambulance
service from an historical aspect including the area and the reason for starting in Australia. The
services that were present before the introduction of ambulance services in Australia will be
discussed in the essay. The evolution of paramedic practice in Australia will be included in the
essay covering the reasons, the ways paramedics evolved and the time period that led to the
growth of the paramedics in Australia.
The first recognized ambulance service in New South Wales commenced operation on 1
April 1895, was known as the Civil Ambulance and Transport Brigade. The first ambulance
station that was in Railway Square, Sydney which was actually a police station that was staffed
by two permanent officer. In the situation the patients were transported on hand-held stretchers
and hand litters (Perkins et al. 2015). The brigade was an organization that was community based
and in the year 1899 it operated the first horsedrawn ambulance and in the year 1912 the first
motor vehicle. The both of the vehicles were donated by public to the brigade. In the year 1937,
radio controlled vehicles began operating, a rescue service began in the year 1941 and a training
school was introduced in 1961. In the year 1967 an air ambulance began operating and it was

2HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF PARAMEDIC PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA
1976 when the advanced life support and intensive care vehicles were introduced. It has been
over hundred years of it and now the organization operates from 266 different locations along
with over 3700 employees across the state. Today, the organization has over 800 ambulance, 300
support vehicles along with nine helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft. The people in the state
can be justifiably proud of the ambulance service that has been built by them. There is collection
of excellent teams who have constantly continued the excellent service and the traditions of
excellence in pre-hospital care.
The ambulance in the state celebrates more than 25 years. Prior to the 1970s most of the
ambulance services were staffed by volunteer staff or paid staff known as ‘ambulance bearers’ of
simply ‘bearers’. In order to work with them, the basic qualification required was merely a
possession of a first aid certificate or a home nursing course certificate. Few of the workers were
trained to administer Trichloroethylene in order to do bandage and splint it was the skills that
played the key role forming the core of the training sessions. During the 1970s, a formal training
blocks was commenced by Queensland at the Ambulance Officer training Centers. Also, the
metropolitan Ambulance Service in Melbourne the mobile Intensive Care Ambulance program
was developed by Victoria. In the next few years, there were certain officers who were provided
training in coronary care that would help them in treating patients with semi-automatic
defibrillators (Calle et al., 2015). Then onwards, the semi-automatic defibrillators along with
three lead ECG cardiac monitoring were mandatorily present in the ambulances. In the 1990s, an
appropriate training began processing when the Queensland Ambulance Service Trained recruits
got in conjunction with South Brisbane TAFE. Graduates would be resented with a diploma in
health Science after three years course. They could become a ‘Qualified Ambulance officer’ after
the diploma. The staffs that were already present would complete the bridging course and carry