by Alyssa Fritzlaff

Warragul and Drouin are amongst the areas in Gippsland receiving graduate paramedics in the coming months.
Of 57 graduate paramedics in Victoria, the Gippsland region will be receiving 10. These paramedics will be spread across several branches, including Warragul, Drouin, Traralgon, Morwell, Sale, Bairnsdale, and Cowes.
An Ambulance Victoria (AV) spokesperson said the graduates are currently taking part in a four-week induction course as part of the Graduate Ambulance Paramedic (GAP) program.
The program sees graduates work initially under the supervision of clinical instructors.
The instructors assist with the transition from the classroom and integrate day-to-day team responsibilities and activities.
"This will give them the 'real world' skills they need to hit the road when paired with experienced paramedics in Gippsland," they said.
"They are learning vital skills such as how to safely move and load patients to prevent inquiries, respond to incidents of violence and driving ambulance vehicles to 'lights and sirens' cases."
In response to increased demand due to the pandemic, Ambulance Victoria recruited 700 paramedics last year - the largest annual recruitment ever recorded by the organisation.
AV has labelled the last quarter as the busiest in its history, citing COVID-19 as the catalyst for the increase in demand.
AV Gippsland's Acting Regional Director Ross Salathiel said recent data revealed a slight improvement in state-wide ambulance response times to the most critical emergencies.
This year, Ambulance Victoria has recruited 174 paramedics.
"The Victorian Government's $35 million boost early this year has fast-tracked the recruitment of another 120 paramedics, who will all start their inductions with Ambulance Victoria in May," Mr Salathiel said.
"I welcome all our new graduates and already experienced paramedics and wish them the best for long and rewarding careers at Ambulance Victoria."