By Ashleigh Wilson and Adam Cresswell
The Australian
Copyright 2008 News Limited.
SYDNEY — After years in club management, Daniel Wright knew he had to find more stimulating work.
His father had been a paramedic for two decades, so Mr Wright signed up for the intense training required to become an ambulance officer in Sydney, despite lacking medical experience.
The training was tough but the demand for his skills was strong.
“I needed a career change,” he said. “I was becoming a bit stale.”
Yesterday’s announcement by the Rudd Government to boost the number of vocational health training places was welcomed by ambulance workers.
In NSW, 80 people are at different levels of paramedic training. Those who become intensive care paramedics must re-certify every three years. After three years’ training, Mr Wright, 29, is close to receiving his P1 qualification, which will allow him to perform advanced treatment on patients on the road.
He works at a station near Mt Druitt, in Sydney’s west, where 30 officers are called on to deal with about 1300 jobs a month. More young paramedics would reduce the strain, he said.
“You can never have enough staff on the road,” he said.
The news of the extra training places was also a fillip for nurses.
Mother of four Coleen Hilbert said the announcement of 50,000 new training positions for health workers was a dream come true.
Since she was 18, the personal care assistant has wanted to train to be a nurse - an ambition that, for financial and other reasons, had always remained out of reach.
“It will fulfil a lifelong dream. This is huge for me,” said Ms Hilbert, now 46. “I’m really excited, because it’s a great opportunity to increase my skills.”
Ms Hilbert works at the Dowell Court residential care home in Melbourne’s East Ivanhoe, helping residents to shower and groom themselves and address other daily needs.
If she completes the training to be an enrolled nurse, she will take on considerably more responsibility, taking charge of administering medicine and other aspects of residents’ clinical care. “It will open up a lot of new horizons,” she said.
Dowell Court is run by Benetas, an Anglican not-for-profit organisation whose more than 1000 staff and 620 volunteers look after about 2000 clients in residential, community and respite services.
Deputy chief executive Sharon McGowan, a former nurse, said that before yesterday’s announcement Benetas was trying to find training places to take 25 of its personal care workers up to enrolled nurse level.
“It’s fantastic news for the aged care industry. It offers personal care workers a true career path in aged care,” she said.
Australian Nursing Federation federal secretary Jill Iliffe estimated “tens of thousands” of personal care workers would have the opportunity to lift their skills.
The measure won qualified approval from doctors’ groups.