Ambulance Victoria’s (AV) largest cohort of new Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedics took to the road this week, including one in Geelong.
Thirty paramedics started on-road training alongside qualified MICA paramedics on Monday, March 3, with Meg Place applying her new skills in the Geelong region.
Ms Place said she was excited to expand her career following her work as a clinical instructor within the ambulance response unit and as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic across the Barwon South West.
“Their leadership, the way they conduct themselves and their advanced clinical knowledge was inspirational,” she said.
“I always aspired to become a MICA paramedic, and after being around my Geelong MICA mentors, I knew it was what I wanted.
“While it has been a steep learning curve, I’ve found the bridging program rewarding and feel excited and prepared to go in-field.”
MICA paramedics have an expanded clinical skill set and can perform high-level medical procedures in areas including respiratory, cardiac, trauma, medical, paediatric and obstetrics.
AV Operational Capability director Trevor Weston said it was “critical to have more MICA paramedics on the road” and welcomed the new cohort to the role.
“We’ve had 30 new MICA paramedics on the road from Monday, which is our biggest group over the history of the program,” he said.
“MICA paramedics are some of the best across the state and we know that more patients are getting sick and that there is an increased need for ambulance services.”
By Jena Carr
