A Brief History of Ambulance Education in Victoria

Victoria's first ambulance training school was established in Geelong in late 1961 by Mr Alan Cumming, Superintendent of the then Geelong and District Ambulance Service, and Dr Ric Bouvier of Morwell.

In 1962, Mr H.G. (Jock) Berry was appointed as Ambulance Training Officer and shortly afterwards the school moved to the Mayfield Centre in Malvern. Following Mr Berry's appointment as Chief Superintendent of the then Ambulance Service - Melbourne, Mr Tom Pammenter became Director if Training in 1974.

In 1977, the school was re-established as the Ambulance Officers' Training Centre and relocated to rented premises in East Melbourne adjacent to Yarra Park, overlooking the MCG. The chairmen of the Committee of Management throughout these formative years were Mr Ray Ham (1978 to 1981) and Mr R.W. (Dick) Edwards (1981 to 1987).

In the mid-1970's, in the belief that Ambulance Paramedic training was not adequately satisfying the increased expectations of the community, a new student course was formulated. The TAFE accredited Certificate of Applied Science (Ambulance Officer) course commenced in 1978 and was originally conducted under the auspices of RMIT and the Education Department. The AOTC was subsequently registered as a TAFE provider with authority to teach the total course.

In 1981, Mr Peter Newbold was appointed Executive Director and along with Dr Frank Archer, the Ambulance Service's Medical Officer, and teaching and support staff, the Centre has continued to provide a wide range of training courses for all persons employed in Ambulance Service Victoria.

Staffing changes during this time created a professionally based multi-disciplinary teaching team with the expertise needed to provide a high standard of contact teaching and clinical supervision. In 1987 the student course, under the co-ordination of Mr Peter Hewett, was accredited by the Victorian Post Secondary Accreditation Committee as an Associate Diploma in Health Science (Ambulance Officer).

As new and comprehensive systems of training developed during the late 1970's and early 1980's, the Centre quickly outgrew its premises and larger facilities were required.

In order to relieve pressures on classroom accommodation, storage and, increasingly, to provide much needed space for library-audio visual and video facilities, annexes were acquired to temporarily cope with the increased student-load, initially at Kew and then in Richmond.

Throughout the 1980;s the Centre made many submissions for suitable, permanent premises for Ambulance Paramedic training. In August 1985, the then Minister for Health, Mr David White, visited the Centre and as a consequence the AOTC purchased the Queens Road property, formerly known as the John Batman Motor Inn. Purchase took place in July 1987 and the building was occupied in September 1987. Since then extensive renovations have taken place to equip the building for its new function as the Ambulance Service Victoria's education and resource centre.

In 1986, the Ambulance Services Act was passed and this established the AOTC as an incorporated body, and specifically defined the role, powers and functions of the AOTC.

In 1996 a review of the Ambulance Services Act provided for a transfer of Ambulance Paramedic education from Ambulance Service Victoria to Monash University.

Following the signing of a contract between the Department of Human Services and Monash University, ambulance officer education has been taken up within the Medical Facility of Monash University. A new department known as Monash University Centre of Ambulance and Paramedic Studies has been established in order to facilitate Ambulance Paramedic education into the next millennium.

In June 2006 the Centres name was changed to the  Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice to better define the future direction.