- Published:
- Thursday 23 October 2025 at 12:55 pm
Ambulance Victoria’s (AV) Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedics are specialist paramedics with advanced intensive care training who help Victoria’s most critically ill and injured patients – and now there are even more to hit the road across the state.
From 10 November 2025, the 14 paramedics – known as MICA interns – will start their on-road training alongside qualified MICA paramedics, having previously completed AV’s MICA Bridging Program.
AV Director Operational Capability Matthew Cannon said it takes about 10 years of dedicated study and experience to become a MICA paramedic.
“We are incredibly proud of our paramedics, who are widely recognised for their professionalism, expertise and commitment to patient care,” Mr Cannon said.
“MICA paramedic training includes a more detailed understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology to greatly increase the capacity to make complex clinical decisions and provide exceptional clinical leadership, in the pre-hospital environment.
“Today’s cohort of MICA interns will help AV to continue to meet the growing medical emergency response needs of Victoria – and is in addition to the 30 MICA interns who hit the road earlier this year.
“This is a significant and exciting chapter for these paramedics who have chosen to take this next step in their career with AV. They will make an enormous contribution to the delivery of the very best care for Victorians.”
MICA paramedics can perform advanced medical procedures such as advanced airway management including intubation, manage complex trauma injuries, administer intra-osseous (into bone) medications, treat life-threatening respiratory conditions and provide advanced management of cardiac conditions.
This second cohort of MICA interns for 2025 will undertake their on-road clinical placements at the following branches:
- Metropolitan MICA branches (5): including Campbellfield, Ringwood, Hampton Park, Rosebud and Frankston.
- Regional Branches (9): including four in Geelong, three in Morwell and one each in Bendigo and Mildura.
Paramedics Steven Ryan and Brit Sinclair are among the second cohort of MICA interns for 2025.
Steven joined AV in 2017 and has spent his career working on the Mornington Peninsula in a number of roles, including as an advanced life support (ALS) paramedic, clinical instructor, paramedic educator and as part of the patient review team.
He said he is drawn to the clinical side of paramedicine, which made the step up to MICA an obvious decision.
“The biggest motivation is to challenge myself and to learn skills to be able to help more patients at their worst. That’s the reason I got into the job, so it just felt like a natural progression in my career,” Steven said.
“The longer I spent in the job, the more certain I became that this was the path I wanted to take.
“The MICA Bridging Program has been challenging, but the support we’ve had from the facilitators has been fantastic and it’s doing a great job of improving our practice.”
Brit first joined AV in 2011 as an Ambulance Community Officer (ACO) in Terang and then in 2015 moved to Warrnambool to complete her graduate year.
Throughout her 10 years as a qualified paramedic, Brit has worked in various branches across the Barwon South West region and held many roles including clinical instructor and paramedic educator.
Passionate about furthering her knowledge and providing regional areas with access to intensive care services, Brit said MICA felt like the perfect fit for her.
“We have a MICA single responder in Warrnambool and after working alongside them and seeing their skill set, I was motivated to take on the role and further my clinical education,” she said.
“After living and working in rural and regional areas for my whole life, I know they can have limited access to intensive care services which inspired me to want to fill that need in the community.
“The MICA Bridging Program is challenging but rewarding and I’m learning a lot from the facilitators who are supportive and extremely knowledgeable.”
The MICA Bridging Program covers a range of clinical areas including respiratory, cardiac, trauma, medical, paediatric and obstetrics.
“Our paramedics will receive world-class training from AV paramedic educators and some of the country’s top medical professionals,” Mr Cannon said. “We congratulate this cohort on their achievements to date and wish them all the best for this next stage in their AV career.”
Enrolment into the AV MICA Bridging Program occurs after successful completion of the Graduate Diploma of Specialist Critical Care Paramedicine at Monash University or an equivalent qualification.
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