University courses leading to a qualification as a paramedic are available in all Australian states and territories apart from the Northern Territory. It is possible to complete some paramedic courses online, with travel being mandatory for residential schools and or clinical placements. Depending on which pathway you take, it takes a minimum of 2 to 4 years at university to become a paramedic.

Undergraduate entry into paramedicine

For entry into a university paramedicine course commencing in 2022, the ATAR and/or Selection Rank ranged from the low-60s to the high-90s. Following is a guide to the ATAR scores for entry into every paramedicine course in Australia in 2022:

Please note that this is a rough guide only for future years as ATARs and Selection Ranks change from year to year depending on the applications each university receives. Ensure that you check with each university you are considering applying to for information about their entry requirements, including pre-requisite subjects.

All courses will include clinical placements. There are a range of requirements before starting a clinical placement. This could include:

• A working with children check (Blue Card)
• A national criminal history check
• Compliance with the vaccination requirements of the health facility you will be visiting
• A current Senior First Aid certificate
• A current CPR certificate
• Completion of a cultural training sensitivity module to be able to provide culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
• Student orientation requirements of the health facility you will be visiting

Graduate entry into paramedicine

Following is a table which shows postgraduate qualifications which lead to registration as a paramedic in Australia:

Please note that apart from your GPA and pre-requisite subjects, graduate entry requirements and/or the requirements before starting clinical placement in paramedicine may also include:

• A working with children check (Blue Card)
• A national criminal history check
• Compliance with the vaccination requirements of the health facility you will be visiting
• A current Senior First Aid certificate
• A current CPR certificate
• Completion of a cultural training sensitivity module to be able to provide culturally safe care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients
• Student orientation requirements of the health facility you will be visiting

Current list of approved programs of study to become a paramedic

The information presented in this article was correct at the time of publishing. Please check with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for an up to date list of approved programs of study to become a paramedic in Australia.

If you would like to find courses to become a paramedic:
1. Go to https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Accreditation/Approved-Programs-of-Study.aspx
2. In Profession select Paramedicine
3. In Country make the appropriate selection – for example, Australia
4. In Qualification Type select General
5. Click Search

Disclaimer

This information is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. My Health Career accepts no responsibility for ensuring that you enrol in a course that is right for you. Please do your own research to ensure that you enrol in the correct course, especially if you are considering an undergraduate biomedicine, health science or biomedical science degree as a pathway to a graduate. This may include speaking with a careers advisor, guidance officer, career development practitioner, representatives of the Australian Paramedics Association, the Australasian College of Paramedicine, and admissions officers from the university or universities you are looking at applying to.