Re-published 30th May, 2024
Australia’s population currently sits at a strong 26 million in 2024, with an overall population increase of one person every 46 seconds*. Encompassing six states and two territories, Australia’s emergency services work incredibly hard daily to ensure that Australians are provided with urgent medical attention at the click of three buttons – 000.
*Australian Bureau of Statistics
Serving such a large population, Australia consists of a two-tiered healthcare employer system. This is between both private providers and the public system, but can be broken down even further to a volunteer and employee capacity.
For those who may not yet be qualified, volunteering is an excellent way to build your skills, experience and confidence. Volunteering whilst you study can additionally increase employability, making you stand out from the crowd of applicants who may also be applying for your dream job as an Ambulance Officer, First Responder, Event Medic, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic or similar. If you’re interested in understanding how you can best position to open the doors to a career in pre-hospital emergency healthcare, make sure to keep reading on.
Reasons to become a volunteer
With busy lives, it’s not always easy to find the time, but volunteering has many benefits for your community and yourself too!
To begin, volunteering and helping others has been known to help improve your health and happiness. As a budding First Responder, Medic or aspiring Paramedic, it can open doors in pre-hospital emergency healthcare. If you’re looking for reasons to become a volunteer, why not consider the below:
- Gain career experience to build your resume.
- Learn valuable skills and build your weaknesses up to strengths.
- Connect with other healthcare professionals in the industry and allow for clinical placement further down the track.
- Increase your social and relationship skills, overall building on your communication abilities and confidence.
- Cement your passion in the industry.
APC student on clinical placement with APC’s Industry Partner, Get First Aid
Requirements to become a volunteer
When volunteering, an essential to have is a positive attitude, willingness to help, compassion and an open mind. Being ready to learn means you’re an asset. Your extra set of hands on deck can make all of the difference, and you’re bringing significant value to any team you’re going to join – whether in the healthcare industry or else.
Pre-hospital healthcare volunteering opportunities
If you’re considering healthcare and are interested in understanding some volunteering opportunities within the sector, the good news is that there is a long list to choose from. We’ve provided a few options that you may wish to consider approaching:
- St John Ambulance
- A household name in its own right, St John Ambulance operate worldwide. With your local St John Ambulance branch you can volunteer as an Ambulance Officer, Community Transport Officer, First Aider or similar.
- Australian Red Cross
- With the Australian Red Cross, you can ‘gain new skills, share your existing ones and meet new friends through volunteering’. Choose to offer your services as an Emergency Services Volunteer, Patient Transport Volunteer or similar
- State Ambulance Service
- Becoming a paramedic is a goal for many, so it’s only natural that you may be excited by the prospect of volunteering for your jurisdictional ambulance service. In good news, there are often volunteering opportunities as a First Responder, Ambulance Officer, Clinical Volunteer or similar with your local branch. Whether it is with Queensland Ambulance Service, New South Wales Ambulance, Ambulance Victoria, South Australian Ambulance Service, St John Ambulance Western Australia, Ambulance Tasmania, St John Ambulance Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory Ambulance Service, there will be something out there for you!
- State Emergency Service
- The State Emergency Service (SES) is a volunteer-based organisation that operates Australia-wide to assist 24 hours a day, 265 days a year. If you’re eager to get some experience in more remote areas, volunteering with your local SES is a great place to start.
- Surf Life Saving
- Surf-life savers provide aquatic supervision over Australia’s coasts in a volunteer capacity. As volunteering is permitted across many beaches, check out your local club to see what they can offer you.
- Local Sporting Clubs
- If you’re a parent of an avid sporting child, you’re likely not unfamiliar with the environment of a sporting field or court. You’re additionally likely familiar with the lumps, bumps and bruises that come with sporting games. No matter the sport or your club, a First Aider or Medic will be around to provide basic-to-advanced medical support. To work closely with your community, enquire within to see if there are any volunteer medic positions to apply for.
- Local Event Medical Services
- The event medical space is often dominated by private healthcare providers. Next time you’re at an event, chat with the medical team to see if offer volunteer postions to the public.
APC students on placement with APC’s Industry Partner, Highlands First Aid.
How to become employed as a Paramedic, Medic or First Responder
Often the reason for volunteering comes from a want to gain experience, skills and connections within the industry either before studying or during studies to become a healthcare professional.
To progress from volunteering and becoming employed, the next natural step to take is to consider courses that align with your interests, financial circumstances and personal/professional commitments.
Australian Paramedical College (APC) is Australia’s leading training provider in non-emergency and emergency healthcare. We’re proud to provide online, self-paced and flexible learning for students who want to make the move to healthcare, determined to make changing careers, upskilling, or even just giving back to your community easier than ever before.
To review APC’s courses and see how they can work for you, click the button below.
