The person who you are so relieved and pleased to see when the ambulance arrives is a paramedic.

Paramedics are specialist healthcare professionals registered under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003. They respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Often first on the scene at home, work and accident emergencies, and a reassuring presence at many sporting events. Paramedics are skilled at calmly taking control and providing urgent medical and accident care in life’s most critical and stressful moments. The scope of practice of a paramedic varies among countries, but generally includes autonomous decision making around the emergency care of patients.

If you are dynamic, compassionate, can think on your feet and have the drive to complete tertiary study, paramedicine may be the career for you.

Career opportunities

• Intensive Care Paramedic – providing advanced care to critically ill patients
• Extended Care Paramedic – providing care to non-urgent patients in the community
• Areas where pre-hospital care is required, including oil rigs, ski fields, industrial sites and zones of conflict
• International relief work
• Safety and emergency management roles
• Clinical education and mentoring of paramedic students
• Clinical advice roles in emergency ambulance communications centres
• Management opportunities within the ambulance service and wider health sector
• Research

Attributes of a Paramedic

• An empathetic personality that is able to cope with the challenges of managing grief, trauma and serious illness
• Ability to be dynamic and resourceful
• A team player with effective communication skills
• An adequate level of health and physical fitness
• Realistic about the challenges of paramedicine – the shifts are long, you sometimes may miss a scheduled meal break and not every job is an emergency (like on TV)!
• The drive and ability to complete degree level study

How to become a Paramedic
To become a paramedic, you must gain an undergraduate degree from a tertiary institution. There are currently two paramedicine degree providers in New Zealand - Auckland University of Technology and Whitireia New Zealand.

Once employed, students will typically practice as an Emergency Medical Technician and, after a period of mentoring, will be eligible to seek authority to practice as a paramedic. After sufficient years of clinical experience, paramedics can specialise by completing post-graduate study (for example, to become an Intensive Care Paramedic).
​
Already working as a Paramedic?

• Completing tertiary study offers a greater depth of understanding and opportunities to carry out research.
• Completing a degree or post-graduate qualification may also enable you to seek a higher authority to practice (ATP) level, enabling you to deliver enhanced care to patients.
• The degree programmes at both AUT and Whitireia can be completed part-time and via distance learning. Courses are delivered through a mix of online work, assignments and block courses on campus.
• For further information, please contact the institutes directly.