High Speed Chaser

Another student question, a bit off topic (not about uniform).

Can anyone tell me what is happening with the VU 2nd Year Intake 'program' at the moment ?

Was this year the first year that they did this ?

Will it continue in the future ? Bear in mind that I am only a 1st year at the moment . So I thinking for the year after next.

If you want send a PM to keep private etc

Thanks for your help

Hey pj2,

Sorry to bump this

but as you may already be aware (at least according to the Herald Sun), the VU program has been yanked due to funding. I may be a student from another uni but I 100% agree with the withdrawal of the program, not for AV's sake, not for the Government's sake, not for the patient's sake but for the student's sake.

The only way the program could work is by if you were sent to a rural branch with the least amount of cases per week so you would be in essence sitting at the branch being paid to sudy. It is already hard enough for Qualified Ambulance Paramedics to work full time and burn out is rife among them (unfortunately) but for a Student Paramedic to work full time and study part time with minimum rest time, it's not an easy thing and it shows, with my sources (not from uni but from paramedics I know from outside my uni) telling me it's a shame because a whole heap are being performanced managed with the threat that if they don't do 100% in the job and don't pass the degree, they will be terminated. That being said, if it were still offered, it would be the best option to not do it because of the reasons above.

This was not the first year it was run, it was running for 2-3 years before 2010, I believe.

All the best

feel free to pm me or reply with more questions

Yeah that sound pretty much right. I always bring a extra pair of undies lest I do something wrong and get a new arse hole torn for me . I sat in one of my medic's seats at the branch once and got chewed out for about five minutes.

I reckon there's more room for us to use the cases we go to for extended learning. I like to look the up whatever the issue was, go over the differential and treatment and look at what I should do next time. Its a more interesting way of learning when you've just seen the problem you're now reading about. I'd like to see that sort of thing as an official assignment, rather than the short thesis of a bloody reflective journal that I have to write. "How did you feel about you placement"

OK I'm scared now lol

I'm hearing conflicting things about the single degree paramedics courses at Vic Uni and Monash. I'm a bit confused and not really sure which Uni I want to go to as some people tell me VU is better and at the moment and some tell me Monash is better. I have been told that Vic Uni is more hands on and a larger percentage get hired with AV and I'm starting to lean towards doing that course instead of Monash.

Could people please give me some advice.

Ballarat (ACU) and Shepparton (La Trobe) are out

Also need to clarify the difference between a graduate and qualified paramedic in AV as I have a feeling it might have changed recently. When one completes a Uni Course and is hired by AV, are they a qualified paramedic or a graduate.

Thanks

Im sorry of my post is dripping with disdain, you must understand though that i have a generalisation because this actually happens on a regular basis. we do get students who go to sleep on the lounge, refuse Sig3's, tell MICA paramedics how to tube, cut QAP's off in the middle of their assessments, interject during our hand overs, tell me im putting that cannula in wrong, tell me im going outside a CPG. And we do get students telling us that they will be our managers because they have a degree (aka we will be your peers) This doesn't really effect me, but for anyone who did DAPS or the old certificate of applied science this is a huge insult, the introduction of a graduate based system also pulled the rug out from under a lot of senior ambo's career progressions, and many of them are now my closest friends. Unfortunately for you the worst seem to come from monash, which is sort of understandable, lets face it, the course there is so freaking good

I understand you guys want to be there and want to learn, and yes the service does accept you for placement, but, there is no obligation on my part to have you on my truck. My priorities changed after putting on the blue shirt, i couldn't understand the ambivalence we were sometimes subjected to, but now i know why, its because you will be gone tomorrow, i probably wont remember your name, im on day 3 of 4, its 3 hours past my lunch window and 2 weeks from annual leave, ive been working with a BLS guy for 2 months and ive had to do most of the work with no backup and more often then not the ride-along are just one more thing i have to keep track of and worry about, regardless of how well meaning you are

You have asked heaps of Q's in your post, ill try and answer them tomorrow (or later today as it turns out!)

peace..

I would never argue with some one who has been working as a Paramedic longer the me for one reason and that is experience. I believe that this is a key part to any successful Paramedic/EMT and rest assured, If I was in you Sprinter (or any other ambulance), I would follow your lead, take signal 3s, and most of all listen to all your advice, stories and learn from you in the lounge and not tell MICA what to do. I would never tell some one, I have a degree so therefore I should be promoted ahead of you and if someone takes the time to teach and mentor me, I like to think that I have gained a friend.

Thanks Guys for that, I will definitely start re-reading and absorbing the old CPGs and cross my fingers I get into the course.

Hi I'm High Speed Chaser,

Currently a volly first aider with first responder training, haven't completed the books yet but soon I will be a full first responder in Australia. I have training in Advanced resuscitation and de fibrillation. I hope that I will get in to a University course which will enable me to become an Advanced Life Support paramedic for the state ambulance service.

Look forward to discussing and learning from you guys.

So I'm not a paramedic as such but I have a strong interest to join and while I have older CPGs from the RAV site (before MAS and RAV merged), I was wondering when the new ones come out if they have not already.

The AV link is here and says

The new Clinical Practice Guidelines will be published online shortly.