Today, we acknowledge all the paramedics, patient transport officers and ambulances officers, who work for and alongside the RFDS across SA/NT.
This includes our friends and service delivery partners at SA Ambulance Service and St John NT, who we collaborate with every day to keep our communities cared for and safe.
We asked our very own Nicola, Shane and Vincent what working in ambulance services means to them. Here’s what they had to say…
Nicola Medlycott
Operations Manager, Road Ambulance Service
Nicola’s career in paramedicine started with a general curiosity in the medical industry. More than two decades later, she has never looked back and now leads RFDS SA/NT’s Road Ambulance Service.
“The adrenaline and fast-paced nature of paramedicine soon fades into the background and it becomes all about supporting the individual patients and families you meet, whether it’s an older person experiencing loneliness, the parents who have just lost a child, the person experiencing a mental health crisis, or a palliative care transfer. These are the most life-changing and impactful, and the patients I feel most proud of providing care to.”
Shane Kuhlmann
Paramedic, Road Ambulance Service
Shane began his paramedic career in the early 2000s in the centre of Adelaide and has since spent time in city and country settings providing life-saving care.
“I find being a paramedic incredibly rewarding. It gives you the opportunity to enter someone's life, someone's home, often at their worst possible moment. It gives you the ability to provide immediate care, reassurance and often life-saving treatments... the biggest reward of being a paramedic is the camaraderie among colleagues and the gratitude from patients and their families.”
Vincent Mankelow
Patient Transport Officer, Road Ambulance Service
After a career in IT, Vincent opted to swap the server for the stretcher later in life, volunteering and eventually gaining his clinical qualifications and experience to work full-time in ambulance services.
“I consider it an honour to be welcomed into someone’s home during their time of greatest need. The RFDS Ambulance Service team is a group of remarkable individuals with varied backgrounds and skills, all working together to support the community. We treat each patient as if they were a member of our own family.”
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