Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Paramedicine students from CDU in Central Australia will be learning on the job at the Finke Desert Race. Professor Dominic Upton tells us about the new program.

Transcript

Paramedicine students from CDU in Central Australia will be learning on the job at the Finke Desert Race. Professor Dominic Upton tells us about the new program. · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We're talking just a little bit earlier this morning too.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Well see the CEO of Tourism Central Australia, Daniel Rochford
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: about the Fink Desert Race kicking off this weekend and
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Charles Darwin University is for the first time launching a
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: new paramedicine course in Alice Springs to train paramedics in
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Central Australia and c to you. Student paramedics are going
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: to be providing emergency medical support to writers and spectators
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: under the supervision of qualified paramedics as part of the
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Fink Desert Race in Alice Springs. Now joining me on
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: the line to tell us a little bit more about
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: the program, It's Charles Darwin University's College of Health and
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Human Science, Dean Professor Dominic Upton.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Dominic.
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, how are you very well?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Great to have you on the show. Dominic.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Firstly, tell us about these students going to be assisting
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: at the Fink Desert Race on the weekend.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: Yeah, of course, I mean, look at the first thing first,
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: I hope that they have a very quiet weekend. I
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: hope that they don't get involved in any sort of
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: events because obviously that's what we're try and avoid. But
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: if they are there under the supervision of qualified paramedic
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: staff that didn't be there working in the real life
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: situation the Central Australia, trying to support and help and
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: get really valuable hands on experience of what it's like
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: to work in the territory.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: It is phenomenal experience. I would imagine.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: It's been sort of a little while coming, though, hasn't
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: it to have a paramedic course in Alice Springs.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: That's right, that's right. I mean we kicked off the
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: paramedic course here in Darlin two years ago and we've
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: had a couple of really good cohorts and they'll be
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: completing their training next year. And we thought it's been
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: so successful and the opportunities and the experiences are so
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: different in our springs that needs trying. A different cohort
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: down in Ourae Springs, as you can imagine the Darlins
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: in the Tropics is in the desert central desert region,
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: and so the types of conditions and types of experiences
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: and students are getting both of those will be completely different,
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: and we wanted to make sure that our students were
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: really trained. It for the work across the whole of
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: the territory. So you know, we're trying to make sure
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: the territory students in the Territory University to be fully
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: prepared for working in Northern Territory when they qualify.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: I think it's a wonderful thing to do, and it
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: is all sort of part of trying to grow our
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: own here in the territory too, isn't.
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: It exactly exactly? Because you know, in the past, we've
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: had a students, a sorry qualified paramedics fly up from
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: interstate and they stayed here a year or two years
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: and gone home. But now that can stay here for
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: their three years training, stay here and become fully qualified
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: paramedics and hopefully spend a long and successful career and
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: then start tracking their future care thoughts as well. So
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: you know, just maintain that growing your own and maintaining
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: the growth of the paramous at the time.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Now, how many have you got enrolled in the course
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: at the moment.
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: In Alice zero because we're just started to market the course,
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: so they'll start in augusta this year. We're hoping for
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: a dozen or so on the Caserina campus in Darwin.
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: It's depending on the year twenty to thirty, thirsty to
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: forty in the second year or sorry, they're in their
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: first year, but yeah, the second year running and run
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: that program.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: And so the ones that are going to be helping
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: out at the Think on the weekend, are they based
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: up here in the Top End and traveling to Central Australia.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: Oh, how exciting for them?
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: Well, exactly exactly. I mean they've trained up here and
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: so they've got the tropical experience. They're now going to
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: go into real life situation and probably see in real
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: life experiences out in the Think. Yeah, you just imagine
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: what they're what they can to learn from that whole
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  Speaker 3: experience is going to be magical.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, And you know, like I said, I think growing
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: our own in the territories such a wonderful thing to do.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: And I think that a lot of us sort of
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: hope as parents that there are different courses and different
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: you know, different studies that our young people can do
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: through Charles Dalen University to try and keep them here
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: and to make those employment opportunities more readily available when
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: they do finish their university studies or whatever studies they're doing.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: So we're able to you know, to have them here
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: in the territory for longer.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: That's right, and that's exactly what we've been doing over
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: the past couple of years. So we know we've got
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: new ocitationional therapy programs, new speech pathology programs, die Tactics
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  Speaker 3: are starting in Augstragus open next physiotherapy, pharmacy the year after,
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: sonography ultrasound and then as you know, you know the
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: vis Time Sources wants to bring medicine to the territory. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: I'm medicine to CEO and really sort of grow that
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: opportunity as well.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: Dominic.
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  Speaker 1: Just with the with the students that are going to
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: be heading to the think on the weekend. How does
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: it sort of work do they how do they you know,
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: how does it work with them at an event like
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: to think Desert Race. I know that you said they'll
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: obviously be under the supervision of those fully qualified staff
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: as well.
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so, I mean it's usually when students go out
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: on trying to place them to the well, you know,
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: or the students on the paramedic course, whether it be
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: Alison or Darwin, will will have some sometime with the
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: Saint John Ambulance and they'll be taking part in a
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: normal shift, but they will just be there as an
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: extra pair of hands and learning. So if something comes
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: to the attention of the qualified paramedic, that qualified person
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: will make a judgment call about whether the student can
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: engage with that and act on it, or whether they
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: need to take care if it's too serious a condition.
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: So is it that sort of balance and making sure
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: that the student it's a learning but of course the
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: injured or the ill person is treated safely and competently.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: And do students get many opportunities like this to get
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: out and about and sort of learn on the job.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, there's for all the courses, there's an
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: important component of sort of clinical training. So even in
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: their first year they start doing a couple of shifts
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: with Saint John, and in the second year that increases.
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: And then in the party that spend probably a whole
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: semester's worth just doing out with qualified people learning on
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: the job.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Are they go well and how many of them are
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: there in total?
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: What's going on at the moment? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: mean that will grow over time. You know, this is
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: the first time that we've given this opportunity students. So
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: a couple of taking it up and we're just going
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: to expand here in your ound. So it's really great.
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: I reckon it's a fantastic thing to do.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: And and you know, if you if you are studying
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: in that area, and and you know you're hoping to
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: travel around the territory and really get to see what
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: goes on in other parts of the Northern Territory, I
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: reckon it would be a fantastic experience for them.
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah like that. I really agree. I think it'd be
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: britain An experience than.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: YEA, our good stuff.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: We'll lovely to talk to you this morning, Dominic Upton,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: the CDU College of Health and Human Science.
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: Dean, we really appreciate your time, brilliant.
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: Thank you very much, Katie, thank you