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08 Jul 2022
The Paramedicine Board of Australia (the Board) is today acknowledging the hard work and dedication of paramedics on International Paramedics Day.
Today is the first ever Australasia International Paramedics Day, celebrating the important work of paramedics and responders around the world.
Paramedicine is a fast-growing profession in Australia with it achieving the largest growth of all the 16 health professions regulated under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) in 2021 – up 8.3 percent on 2020.
As of 31 March 2022, there are 22,872 registered paramedics in Australia. This is more than double the number of registrants when the profession first joined the National Scheme in late 2018.
The theme for today’s commemorative day is ‘proud to be a paramedic’.
Board Chair and paramedic, Professor Stephen Gough, said, 'as frontline healthcare providers, paramedics have faced numerous and varied challenges in recent years'.
‘Increased calls for their services have seen the profession meet head on the challenges within their communities, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other natural disasters,’ Professor Gough said.
‘Paramedics have stepped up, often applying their skills and knowledge to support their colleagues in other healthcare professions during periods of significant demand.
‘There is much for Australia’s paramedics to be proud of and the Board recognises the important contribution of paramedics to communities across the country.
'International Paramedics Day is a wonderful opportunity to think about the exceptional work done by paramedics every day.'
Professor Gough was also proud of the Board’s ongoing work to support the profession and assuring the professional practice of paramedics in their community.
‘Australian communities can be confident that paramedics are working in line with national standards of practice and that the profession will continue to develop to ensure ongoing excellence in first responder care.’