THE protest message scrawled on the side of one of the district’s ambulances, by Wonthaggi Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedic, Samantha Nichols on Monday this week, says it all:
“Average lifespan for a Victoria paramedic is less than five years.”
Given you need three years full time at an accredited university to undertake a Bachelor of Paramedical Science degree and several years on the job to get the requisite experience, many are gone before they’re barely started.
To be losing qualified and experienced paramedics early, due mainly to compulsory overtime, is a tragedy – for us and them.
“It’s not about the pay but the 3.3 per cent they’ve offered us is still below inflation,” said Wonthaggi’s delegate to the Victorian Ambulance Union.
“It’s about trying to retain our workforce.
“When there’s a problem that’s driving highly qualified and competent people away from your industry, you’ve got to look at changing conditions,” said Ms Nichols.
“You’ve got to allow people to have a life. They’re not going to stay if they are constantly turning up four hours late for important family occasions, especially when there are jobs with comparable salaries elsewhere.
“They’re taking that valuable experience with them.”
Ms Nichols said ambulance paramedics were currently contributing more than 800 hours of overtime-a-day to Ambulance Victoria, meaning the sector was heavily understaffed, and the ambos heavily overworked.
She said an independent study conducted by RMIT and Swinburne universities found that one in five paramedics planned to leave their job within the next year, a statistic that needed to be turned around, she said.
They want Ambulance Victoria to introduce and staff up to a level that would allow paramedics not to be called out for anything other than a Code 1 or important Code 2 in the last hour of their shift.
“Often, it’s not because we’re attending emergencies, it’s because we’re ramped in hospital corridors or organising a GP appointment for a low acuity patient.
“It’s about being able to get off work around the time you are supposed to without being called out at the last moment for something other than a Code 1 or important Code 2.”
Industrial action will include members writing slogans promoting work-life balance on ambulances in liquid chalk, collecting billing details on paper rather than electronically and refusing to carry out tasks for hospitals.
“But none of these actions will place anyone in danger,” said Ms Nichols.
“It’s about awareness.
“So, if you see the writing on the sides of the ambulance or on the back door, you’re welcome to ask us about it, in fact we’d encourage it.”
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Jane Miller said she respected paramedics’ right to take protected action and assured Victorians they would not be impacted.
“If Victorians have an emergency and you need an ambulance, you will get one, and patient safety will not be impacted,” Ms Miller said.
“AV continues to negotiate in good faith with employee representatives towards a mutually beneficial Ambulance Victoria Enterprise Agreement 2024.”