Ambulance Active Spring 2011Published By Countrywide Austral
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Ambulance Active is published by Countrywide Austral. Countrywide Austral adheres to stringent ethical advertising practices and any advertising inquiries should be directed to Countrywide Austral Level 2, 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne • GPO Box 2466, Melbourne 3001
Ph: (03) 9937 0200 Fax: (03) 9937 0201 • Email: admin@cwaustral.com.au
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active HEADER people<br />
Welcoming NT’s new<br />
Paramedic Educator<br />
After almost two decades on the road,<br />
Victorian paramedic Olga Bartasek has<br />
travelled the long road to Darwin to<br />
embark on a new career.<br />
The former Team Manager at<br />
Romsey and two year old son Nathan<br />
moved from the family’s nine-acre property<br />
in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges region in<br />
November, in time to start work with St<br />
John <strong>Ambulance</strong> as a paramedic educator.<br />
Olga’s husband, Martin, who will<br />
also start an exciting new career as a<br />
commercial pilot with a local airline early<br />
next year, initially sparked the move.<br />
Martin and six year old Liam will make the<br />
move after the family spends Christmas<br />
together in Victoria.<br />
“While the move interstate was primarily<br />
for Martin’s work, I was also exploring<br />
different career options and teaching has<br />
always appealed to me,” she said.<br />
“After 19 years on the road, the last 10<br />
as team manager, I am looking forward to<br />
this new educator’s role,” Olga said.<br />
St John <strong>Ambulance</strong> will start a new<br />
paramedic recruitment program in 2012,<br />
different to many other states, where on<br />
the job training will be supplemented with<br />
a three-year degree from Perth-based<br />
tertiary institute Edith Cowan University.<br />
“The course in Darwin seems an ideal<br />
model – on the job training coupled with<br />
academic, studies,” Olga said. <br />
“There are advantages to both academic<br />
and time on ambulance models, but in<br />
Darwin, the combination means graduates<br />
have the theoretical knowledge in addition<br />
to getting to know the practical aspect<br />
of the job and learn to work closely in<br />
their community.”<br />
The new course starts next year and<br />
Olga will be teaching within the Associate<br />
Diploma course, registered with Edith<br />
Cowan University, while retaining her<br />
paramedic skill set and being available<br />
to go out on the road if required.<br />
“I’m expecting the on-road environment<br />
to be quite different to what I’ve been<br />
used to also,” Olga said.<br />
“In the Northern Territory, St John<br />
<strong>Ambulance</strong> still has two stretchers in their<br />
vehicles, and two passenger seats in the<br />
rear of the vehicle. I have been told it is<br />
not uncommon to have four patients in<br />
the ambulance at the one time.<br />
“The organisation still has a large<br />
number of volunteers they don’t have<br />
their own helicopters, they use a<br />
private company, whereas in Victoria<br />
we have had the choice of four owned<br />
and operated helicopters in different<br />
corners of the state. The other obvious<br />
difference, and challenge, will be the<br />
distances. Sometimes, we will be travelling<br />
200-400 kilometers away from the<br />
nearest hospital.”<br />
In addition to the career change<br />
opportunity, the paramedic educator<br />
position brings with it the family friendly<br />
hours that Olga requires for her family<br />
circumstances.<br />
“I can work Monday to Friday with no<br />
nights or weekend work,” she said.<br />
“Having Nathan on my own with<br />
no family or ready-made friends, and<br />
therefore needing childcare, means day<br />
time work was important to secure.”<br />
While Olga and her family were<br />
fortunate that the paramedic educator<br />
position was available, the ambulance<br />
industry too was lucky to not loose one<br />
if its most experienced professionals.<br />
Held in high esteem from colleagues<br />
around the country, Olga’s keen interest<br />
in Industrial Relations means she has<br />
played a key advocacy role on behalf<br />
of paramedics.<br />
“I have a strong passion for advocating<br />
for paramedics in the field, always striving<br />
to maintain equality and fairness in the<br />
“ I have a strong passion for advocating for<br />
paramedics in the field, always striving to maintain<br />
equality and fairness in the workplace in addition<br />
to upholding basic moral rights,” she said.<br />
workplace in addition to upholding basic<br />
moral rights,” she said.<br />
Olga has appeared at press conferences<br />
to highlight the shortage of paramedics<br />
and the effect it was having on existing<br />
resources. On this issue, she has also<br />
lobbied her local MPs over three major<br />
towns in the Macedon Ranges region<br />
having only one single officer on shift,<br />
effectively doing the job on their own. In<br />
collaboration with <strong>Ambulance</strong> Employees<br />
<strong>Austral</strong>ia (VIC), her efforts locally have<br />
resulted in Woodend now being staffed 24<br />
hours a day, and an increase in resources at<br />
the Gisborne and Kyneton station to two<br />
paramedics on shift.<br />
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