New Zealand Paramedic Education and Research Charitable Trust has provided paramedicine with an extra boost, following
the announcement of this year’s recipients of the Tait Communications Paramedicine Scholarships 2018.
Awarded annually, the scholarships are presented to qualified ambulance officers who are wanting to further advance
their skills and expertise in paramedicine through postgraduate studies.
New Zealand Paramedic Education and Research Trust President Curt Ward says this year, a total of eight scholarships
were presented to six ambulance officers – with a couple of them receiving dual awards.
“The combined value of the scholarships awarded this year is $16,000. Since the programme was established, $90,000 in
scholarships, study and research grants have been awarded.”
Curt says an initial pool of 12 applicants were assessed against a rigorous criteria before the selection panel settled
on the final six.
Included in the list of scholarship recipients are: Intensive care paramedic Andrew Prescott, Whanganui; Auckland
Paramedics Brendan Peat, Rohen Lahav and Harriet Wallace; Intensive Care Paramedic Matt Wilkinson, Nelson; and Emergency
Medical Technician Orla Fowden of Christchurch. The awards are for postgraduate studies ranging from Contemporary
Intensive Paramedicine, Aeromedical Retrieval and Community and Remote Medicine through to Resuscitation Physiology,
Advanced Resuscitation and Practice Pursued.