After witnessing a cardiac arrest, Tracie sets her sights on saving lives

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. But when the time came for her to return to the workforce, she knew she wanted to do something she’d find more fulfilling.

“I thought if I had to go back to work, I wanted it to be more worthwhile and rewarding,” she said.

“I had always been interested in healthcare and after assisting with a couple of first aid incidents in my everyday life, including an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and a paediatric choking, I realised I was good in an emergency and passionate about helping others.”

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. It was my first time being part of such a large response.”

Tracie’s background in customer service has also come in handy during her time on road, helping her to connect with patients.

“Being a paramedic is almost like being in healthcare customer service sometimes because we need to listen to our patient, provide reassurance and build a sense of trust so we can deliver best care,” she said.

“We’re interacting with people when they need it most and the imposter syndrome when you first start on road can be overwhelming, but you quickly realise that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to make a positive difference.”

As Tracie approaches the end of her graduate program, her main goal is to become the best ALS paramedic she can.

“I want to be known as a great ALS paramedic, someone with lots of knowledge and skills who is great at responding under pressure,” she said.

“Looking further down the track, I like the idea of continuing my education but I’m just excited to see what the future holds.”