Ambulance Officer-NSW

They say laughter is the best medicine and Tess Ravlic couldn’t agree more. For the veteran paramedic, a couple of corny jokes go hand in hand with a wealth of knowledge when treating her patients.

“There is an ambulance sense of humour that is second to none,” Ravic says of her colleagues, who are known for cracking rather bad jokes to keep a smile on their patients’ faces in a stressful situation.

Ravlic has been in the Ambulance Service of NSW for 18 years and a paramedic for 13. She is based at Randwick and has recently been working as part of a new initiative with the ambulance service called the rapid response unit. It is a medically equipped 4WD, driven by a paramedic and immediately dispatched in an emergency.

“The idea is to cut down response time and to have an ambulance officer with you as fast as possible,” Ravlic says. “We are able to get to people reasonably fast because we are a smaller vehicle and we can get through the traffic.”

Being first on the scene allows Ravlic to determine whether a patient is in a critical or non-critical condition. She then decides whether the ambulance crew that follows her can slow down, or she can request more paramedics if the situation becomes life-threatening.

“We are short and sharp and then we move on. Because we are not transporting patients that cuts down the length of each job for us,” she says.
Ravlic joined the ambulance service after a stint in a childcare centre and then as a youth worker.

She says it is the cases where an ambulance officer has formed a relationship with a patient or their family that are often the hardest to deal with.

Thankfully, however, Ravlic has the support of her own family and says that this helps her cope with some of the difficulties associated with the job.
She says: “In order for me to go in the next day and do a decent job, you have to be a bit harsh and cut it away from your mind.

“[You] say, ‘This is my life now’, and try to be the best person for my kids.” Ambulance officers work in pairs when responding to an emergency. One officer will be in charge of patient care, while the other drives. Ravlic says the teams change every eight weeks and both ambulance officers swap the driving and patient care roles. The sense of satisfaction gained from

helping someone is one of the best things about her job, she says.
People starting out in the industry begin as a trainee ambulance officer then, after 12 months, progress to a qualified ambulance officer. They can become paramedics after three years’ experience and training in intensive emergency care techniques.

How to be … an ambulance officer
You will need to apply directly to the NSW Ambulance Service. You can also enter through completion of a Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic).

Contact the Ambulance Service of NSW, 02 9320 7821, www.asnsw.health.nsw.gov.au