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Frances is only a few weeks into her journey as a Graduate Paramedic Intern with the ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS), but already she feels at home.
The carefully structured course and supportive training environment have played key roles in helping her settle in quickly, but Frances says that bonding with her fellow interns has also made the transition easier.
“What's really nice about our group is that we've all come from very different backgrounds,” says Frances, “so we all have unique life experiences that we can add to our team.
“Everyone is very receptive about to getting to know each other, and forge meaningful friendships going forward.
“It’s only been a couple of weeks, but already we all head out together after class, to trivia nights and other activities.”
After making the move from hometown Bowral to Port Macquarie, where she attended university, Frances says her most recent relocation has been an adjustment, now that she can’t go to the beach every day, but she is warming very quickly to the nation’s capital.
"When you visit here as a child on school excursions, you go to Parliament House and do the routine big things,” she remembers, “but I’m finding out now that the city has a lot more to offer.
“Port Macquarie is great, but it’s very quiet, while Canberra always has things going on. I’ve been exploring the outdoors and finding some great swimming spots, plus I’m excited about getting into hiking, and being closer to the snow.”
Frances' path to becoming a paramedic was driven by a deep curiosity about the human body and medical science. Originally considering a career in physiotherapy, she soon realised that paramedicine aligned more with her interests and skills.
The carefully structured course and supportive training environment have played key roles in helping her settle in quickly, but Frances says that bonding with her fellow interns has also made the transition easier.
“What's really nice about our group is that we've all come from very different backgrounds,” says Frances, “so we all have unique life experiences that we can add to our team.
“Everyone is very receptive about to getting to know each other, and forge meaningful friendships going forward.
“It’s only been a couple of weeks, but already we all head out together after class, to trivia nights and other activities.”
After making the move from hometown Bowral to Port Macquarie, where she attended university, Frances says her most recent relocation has been an adjustment, now that she can’t go to the beach every day, but she is warming very quickly to the nation’s capital.
"When you visit here as a child on school excursions, you go to Parliament House and do the routine big things,” she remembers, “but I’m finding out now that the city has a lot more to offer.
“Port Macquarie is great, but it’s very quiet, while Canberra always has things going on. I’ve been exploring the outdoors and finding some great swimming spots, plus I’m excited about getting into hiking, and being closer to the snow.”
Frances' path to becoming a paramedic was driven by a deep curiosity about the human body and medical science. Originally considering a career in physiotherapy, she soon realised that paramedicine aligned more with her interests and skills.
She expected to work for NSW Ambulance, having completed placements within that service while at university.
However, as she and a close friend (also a current ACTAS Graduate Paramedic Intern) did more research into the ACT Ambulance Service, they realised the smaller cohort size and structured support system would be ideal for beginning their careers.
With a longer training period, compared to some of the other ambulance services in Australia, Frances appreciates the level of preparation that ACTAS provides to its interns.
"Paramedicine is a pretty serious job to get into, you have a lot of responsibility," says Frances.
“Having that prolonged structure and support makes me feel really safe, and I just love learning here.
“Everyone is so welcoming, and Erin (Paramedic Clinical Educator)’s been great, she has such a positive approach to education.”
Frances has been so inspired by the standard of training offered by ACTAS, that the prospect of mentoring future paramedics, or taking on a peer support role, is something she can see herself pursuing down the line.
For now, though, she says her main goal is to make the most of the education and experiences offered by the program.
“I’m focused on upskilling, as there's a bigger scope of practice down here, compared to what I studied with,” says Frances.
"I want to reach my goal of being comfortable as a paramedic, and having that responsibility.”
Frances and her fellow trainees have a busy 14 months ahead, with a combination of weeks in the classroom, ambulance driving training sessions, and operational ‘ridealongs’, where they will join on-road crews, and be supervised and supported by experienced ambulance officers.
“Being able to apply all of my training and knowledge on real jobs is going to be really rewarding,” says Francis.
“I think it's going to be very challenging at the start, but once I get into the swing of things, it'll be really exciting to put it all into practice.”
However, as she and a close friend (also a current ACTAS Graduate Paramedic Intern) did more research into the ACT Ambulance Service, they realised the smaller cohort size and structured support system would be ideal for beginning their careers.
With a longer training period, compared to some of the other ambulance services in Australia, Frances appreciates the level of preparation that ACTAS provides to its interns.
"Paramedicine is a pretty serious job to get into, you have a lot of responsibility," says Frances.
“Having that prolonged structure and support makes me feel really safe, and I just love learning here.
“Everyone is so welcoming, and Erin (Paramedic Clinical Educator)’s been great, she has such a positive approach to education.”
Frances has been so inspired by the standard of training offered by ACTAS, that the prospect of mentoring future paramedics, or taking on a peer support role, is something she can see herself pursuing down the line.
For now, though, she says her main goal is to make the most of the education and experiences offered by the program.
“I’m focused on upskilling, as there's a bigger scope of practice down here, compared to what I studied with,” says Frances.
"I want to reach my goal of being comfortable as a paramedic, and having that responsibility.”
Frances and her fellow trainees have a busy 14 months ahead, with a combination of weeks in the classroom, ambulance driving training sessions, and operational ‘ridealongs’, where they will join on-road crews, and be supervised and supported by experienced ambulance officers.
“Being able to apply all of my training and knowledge on real jobs is going to be really rewarding,” says Francis.
“I think it's going to be very challenging at the start, but once I get into the swing of things, it'll be really exciting to put it all into practice.”
