More than 40 new recruits headed out across the state last week to start their paramedic careers with Ambulance Victoria (AV).
They had spent the previous 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 join more than 5000 on-road paramedics delivering the very best life-saving care everywhere.
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.
IMAGE: New East Gippsland paramedic Sarah O’Brien. (PS)
