In a life threatening emergency dial Triple Zero (000)
Storm and Flood Assistance
Whether its offering sound clinical care or simply a reassuring smile, Bronte believes small acts of kindness can make a big difference to patients.
Having recently started training as a Graduate Paramedic Intern with the ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS), Bronte is beginning the next chapter of a career journey that has taken her through university studies, emergency nursing and a range of other healthcare experiences, including mental health and disability support.
“I really want to be that frontline position,” Bronte says.
“I want to help people on what could be the worst day of their life.”
Bronte studied a Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Paramedicine at the Australian Catholic University in Canberra, before spending a year working as a nurse in the Emergency Department at North Canberra Hospital.
That experience gave her a valuable perspective on the patient journey, allowing her to see what happens after paramedics hand a patient over to hospital staff.
“I found it very valuable to learn the ‘after’ of when an ambulance comes,” she says, “the holistic patient health journey, and seeing how people progress through the health system.”
Her pathway into healthcare was shaped by the people around her. Inspired by her aunt, who is a nurse, and by her father’s humanitarian work during the Ebola crisis, Bronte became drawn to careers that placed people at the centre of challenging situations.
While there are no paramedics in her immediate family, the impact of those role models helped her realise where she wanted her own career to take her.
When it came time to apply for ambulance services, Bronte had options. She was accepted into both NSW Ambulance and ACTAS.
For many graduates, choosing between services can be difficult, but for Bronte, her experiences during placement made the decision much easier.
Having recently started training as a Graduate Paramedic Intern with the ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS), Bronte is beginning the next chapter of a career journey that has taken her through university studies, emergency nursing and a range of other healthcare experiences, including mental health and disability support.
“I really want to be that frontline position,” Bronte says.
“I want to help people on what could be the worst day of their life.”
Bronte studied a Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Paramedicine at the Australian Catholic University in Canberra, before spending a year working as a nurse in the Emergency Department at North Canberra Hospital.
That experience gave her a valuable perspective on the patient journey, allowing her to see what happens after paramedics hand a patient over to hospital staff.
“I found it very valuable to learn the ‘after’ of when an ambulance comes,” she says, “the holistic patient health journey, and seeing how people progress through the health system.”
Her pathway into healthcare was shaped by the people around her. Inspired by her aunt, who is a nurse, and by her father’s humanitarian work during the Ebola crisis, Bronte became drawn to careers that placed people at the centre of challenging situations.
While there are no paramedics in her immediate family, the impact of those role models helped her realise where she wanted her own career to take her.
When it came time to apply for ambulance services, Bronte had options. She was accepted into both NSW Ambulance and ACTAS.
For many graduates, choosing between services can be difficult, but for Bronte, her experiences during placement made the decision much easier.
“I really fell in love with the ACT Ambulance Service,” she says.
“The size of the service was really appealing. You're not just a number on a computer. You're known as a person.
“Even though I was a student, people would still say, ‘Oh, good morning Bronte. How are you today?’ You just felt more like part of a team.”
That sense of connection and belonging is something she believes makes ACTAS unique.
“It feels just like a little family,” she says, “you're working with your friends on shift.”
As she begins her internship, Bronte is already experiencing that supportive environment firsthand. Alongside fellow graduates from across Australia, she has spent her first weeks learning all about the service, meeting its leaders and developing practical skills that will underpin her career.
Bronte is particularly interested in one day working in PACER (Police, Ambulance and Clinician Early Response), a specialised model that brings together emergency services and clinical expertise to support people experiencing mental health crises.
“Obviously that is in the very distant future,” she says, “but it’s definitely something on my radar, because I like the advanced skill set that’s required.”
For now, beyond her clinical skills, Bronte hopes to bring something equally important to her role as a paramedic: kindness.
Having worked in emergency healthcare, disability support and mental health settings, she understands that patients are often experiencing fear, uncertainty and vulnerability when they call for help.
“When I'm in the clinical space, I'm very good at switching on that positive outreach and being the person to offer a hand to hold while someone's having a cannula put in, or when something bad is happening,” she says.
“Just being a person that they can ask questions to, having that clinical knowledge, but also wording things in a way so it's not as scary,” she says.
Most of all, she wants patients to remember that someone was there for them when they needed it most.
“I really pride myself on just being able to make people smile, even when they're having a really bad day and they don't want to see us,” she says.
“No one wants to call Triple-Zero (000), but just knowing that I can be the reason someone smiles, even if it's for half a second, I think that’s what’s drawn me to this career.”
