Ambulance paramedic education, which was conducted over the past 30 years by the Ambulance Officers' Training Centre (AOTC), has gained a national and international reputation for the quality of its courses and the performance of its graduates. In particular, the MICA paramedic course is regarded as a national benchmark. As a result of a state government decision to mainstream ambulance paramedic education, Monash University sought and won the contract to provide ambulance paramedic education for ambulance services in Victoria for five years from 1 July 1998. Monash University has a contractual responsibility to deliver the ambulance paramedic course at diploma level, the MICA paramedic course at advanced diploma level and a final-year program to allow all paramedics to complete a degree, and provide course awards under its own structure.
To meet these responsibilities, the university created the Centre for Ambulance and Paramedic Studies (MUCAPS) within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, which is located in a purpose-built building funded by the State Government and located on the Peninsula campus. MUCAPS, in partnership with industry, has developed integrated programs in ambulance and paramedic studies to meet the needs of the industry.
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