Monash University will deliver Australia’s first-ever Paramedic Practitioner Master’s degree in 2023, and it will be free for students to study.
The free degree was announced by Premier Daniel Andrews and Ambulance Services Minister Gabrielle Williams on Sunday, June 4.
The course will be developed by Ambulance Victoria, Safer Care Victoria, paramedics, clinicians, hospitals, and unions – with the first students commencing at the start of next year.
Paramedics regularly transfer patients with serious, but not life-threatening, conditions to hospitals. With advanced clinical training, the new Paramedic Practitioners will be able to assess, diagnose patients and treat in the field, make clinical decisions and take pressure off busy emergency departments.
Paramedic Practitioners can provide urgent care to patients who need it and eliminate the need for a trip to the hospital for many patients. The new course will prepare paramedics for the new role with a focus on advanced assessment techniques, diagnostics, clinical decision-making, treatment planning, legal and ethical considerations.
The Victorian Budget 2023-24 invested $20 million to establish the role of Paramedic Practitioner and deliver the new degree at no cost to trainees.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the government is it free to become a Paramedic Practitioner because “money should never be a barrier to giving Victorians the care they need and deserve”.
Ambulance Services Minister Gabrielle Williams said the government will start the roll out of Paramedic Practitioners in regional Victoria, “delivering urgent care in the community and reducing demand on our regional hospitals”.
