Graduate paramedic Tracie Avion had never interacted with Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics until she witnessed someone go into cardiac arrest about eight years ago.
Seeing crews respond to that case was enough to leave her yearning for a career in paramedicine.
Now approaching the end of her time as a graduate paramedic, Tracie is confident trading her office job for the frontline was the right career move.
Before taking time away from work to raise her children Tracie worked in customer service and administration.
“I thought if I had to go back to work, I wanted it to be more worthwhile and rewarding,” she said.
With her mind made up, Tracie enrolled in the paramedicine degree and after graduating, started with AV in the Medium Acuity Transport Service (MATS) based in Laverton North in January 2025.
After completing her six months with MATS, Tracie moved to the Sunshine branch for the Advanced Life Support (ALS) part of her graduate program.
While she was enjoying her work more than ever before, the transition wasn’t without its challenges, but with support from her family and new colleagues, finding the balance between commuting, shift work and family became a little easier.
Over the past 12 months, Tracie has attended many memorable cases, but one that stays with her is the first interagency response she was part of.
“The patient had sustained a leg fracture in the bowl of a skatepark, with the location making access and extrication quite challenging,” she said.
“We had to call in firefighters to complete a high-angle extrication, and I found it fascinating seeing the masses of trucks, ambulances and managers all work as one to help the patient.
“It was rewarding being part of an efficient team who worked together to access and treat the patient, before transporting them promptly to hospital.”
As Tracie approaches the end of her graduate program, her main goal is to become the best ALS paramedic she can.
“Looking further down the track, I like the idea of continuing my education but I’m just excited to see what the future holds,” she said.
