Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Craig Garraway from St. John's NT says they're looking to recruit new paramedics in the NT

Transcript

Craig Garraway from St. John's NT says they're looking to recruit new paramedics in the NT · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And well we usually catch up with him on a
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Monday morning, and we still will on Monday morning. But
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: we know that Saint John is encouraging graduate and qualified
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  Speaker 1: paramedics across the country to head to the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: to work. And joining me on the line right now
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  Speaker 1: is Craig Garaway. Good morning to you, Craig.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, thanks for having me.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Oh good to have you on the show. Craig. I
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: know that Saint John is really urging Australian paramedics to
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: try a change of scenery.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, we've been in a really great position at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. We're recruiting forty five additional parameds over and
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  Speaker 2: above our normal recruitment process over the next nine months.
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  Speaker 2: The Northern Terrectory government's been fantastic in assisting us to
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  Speaker 2: get on top of COVID and our recruiting issues. So
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  Speaker 2: we're looking for people right around Australia to come and
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  Speaker 2: experience the amazing opportunities in the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 1: So how many paramedics or how many people are you
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  Speaker 1: trying to trying to recruit.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Well, we're looking for forty five over the next nine months.
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  Speaker 2: We've got four recruitment processes to go through, so we're
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  Speaker 2: looking for qualified and graduate paramedics right across Australia to
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  Speaker 2: come to Northern Territory and just experience that's different. So
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  Speaker 2: it's a big campaign for us, one of the biggest
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  Speaker 2: in my thirty three years, and as a great team
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  Speaker 2: getting together at the moment to try and pull all
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: this work together.
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  Speaker 1: And I know, you know, quite often on this show
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  Speaker 1: we talk about lots of really quite serious incidents and
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  Speaker 1: serious situations, and even this morning we've been talking about
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  Speaker 1: some pretty heavy stuff. But I would imagine that as
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  Speaker 1: a paramedic working in the Northern Territory you really do
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  Speaker 1: experience some pretty different stuff and even some of the
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  Speaker 1: you know, when I think about some of the conversations
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  Speaker 1: you and I have had over over the last few years,
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  Speaker 1: from injuries from bulls, snake bites, all sorts of different
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  Speaker 1: things that your paramedics actually respond to.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, it is the unique environment and our paramedics
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  Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory are extremely experienced paramedics and really
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  Speaker 2: desired by other ambulance services because of their varied skills.
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  Speaker 2: So we've got paramedics who have worked with us over
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  Speaker 2: the years and have moved into state and we're hoping
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  Speaker 2: a lot of these guys will move back, but they've
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  Speaker 2: been snapped up by other ambulance services because we give
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  Speaker 2: them such good experience and that unique experience, you know,
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  Speaker 2: crocodile attacks, as you said, you know, buffalo's, you name it.
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  Speaker 2: Our paramedics get to experience it all and the remoteness
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  Speaker 2: of the Northern Territory adds that other dynamics I mentioned
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  Speaker 2: to it as well.
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  Speaker 1: And so Craig, how exactly are you trying to recruise
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  Speaker 1: these paramedics from around Australia.
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  Speaker 2: So we have a national campaign going at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: obviously through all types of mediums to try and attract
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  Speaker 2: those people. We're really trying to give people an understanding
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  Speaker 2: of the uniqueness of the Northern Territory and what they
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: could experience up here. And we're in a you know,
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  Speaker 2: a really difficult to environment at the moment because every
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  Speaker 2: ance service in Australia is recruiting because of COVID. But
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  Speaker 2: we believe that we have something special that's going to
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  Speaker 2: attract those people and we're working very hard, you know,
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  Speaker 2: print media, you know, TV and obviously social media as well,
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  Speaker 2: and so.
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  Speaker 1: Is it kicked off yet, Craig, or when exactly is
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  Speaker 1: it kicking off?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, we've started to kick it off. I believe
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  Speaker 2: we did some advertising yesterday. We've obviously been online. Our
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  Speaker 2: first actual recruitment group starts on the twenty eighth of March,
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  Speaker 2: which is fantastic. That's only four weeks away, and we've
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: already got a fourteen people set up ready to start
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  Speaker 2: their recruitment phase in so working really hard to keep
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: on track and get those people into the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: and give them an experience that they'll never forget.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: Well, Craig, obviously talking about recruitment this morning, did anything
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: happen overnight or over the last couple of days that
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  Speaker 1: we should be aware.
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  Speaker 2: Of the only thing that's sort of happened overnight that's
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: probably of in is we actually had a paramedic crew
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: at one five this morning come across a car and
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: collided with a pole environment around about there, and one
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  Speaker 2: person seriously injured there and one person not so seriously injured,
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: both transported to the Hospel. But just shows you, you know,
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  Speaker 2: our paramedics are out in about twenty four hours to day,
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  Speaker 2: coming across this stuff and experiencing things that normally they
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: wouldn't get to see.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, Craig Garaway, we always appreciate your time. We'll
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: chat to you again on Monday.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks Katie, and thank you for having us. And
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  Speaker 2: you know, hopefully we can find some great paramedics to
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  Speaker 2: look after territories. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Well, actually, is there anywhere where Let's say someone's listening
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  Speaker 1: this morning and their brothers are paramedic into stage or there.
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  Speaker 1: You know, they've got somebody who they know who might
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  Speaker 1: be interested. What should they do? Who can they contact?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, get online onto our web page, jump on there,
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  Speaker 2: or contact our HR department at some John Ambulance on
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  Speaker 2: a nine double two, six to two double zero and
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  Speaker 2: ask for HR and they'll with them in the right
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  Speaker 2: direction and we can get started.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you very much for your time this morning, Craig.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk to you soon.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, take care, Ka, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: See