SA Ambulance Service
Patient Transfer
Officer information
This information is current at the time of distribution but subject to change without notice
SA AMBULANCE SERVICE
is committed to the provision of total quality Clinical Care and
transportation of Patients
Mandatory Pre-requisites
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A full, unrestricted SA drivers licence and a good driving history
Able to provide an appropriate Police Clearance Certificate at interview
Able to successfully complete pre-employment assessments
Must demonstrate evidence of one of the following:
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Completion of SACE or equivalent
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Trade Certificate
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Further Accredited Education
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Work History
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Community Work in a similar position
The Selection Process
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General Reasoning Test
15 Factor Questionnaire Personality Profile
Medical Examination
Physical Examination including Ergonomic Test
Panel Interview
*Refer attachment
The job and what it takes to do it
As a Patient Transfer Officer you will be trained to the clinical level necessary to provide
care and transport of non-emergency patients of all age groups and cultures.
The service deals specifically with non-urgent cases and represents the larger majority of
SA Ambulance Service.
An Ambulance crew consists of two Officers trained to a level that provides care for
patients who are not in emergency or life threatening situations. All patient care protocols
are determined by the Medical Advisory Committee.
SA Ambulance Service is looking for people who are motivated to achieve something
meaningful through their employment and enjoy varied and busy work. The ability to work
in a team environment is essential.
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Casual Conditions
The pay rate of a Casual Ambulance Transfer Officer as at 1 March 2007 is $22.37 per
hour.
Casual employees are used on a need basis to supplement shortfalls in the roster due to
illness, leave, etc. Some weeks there may not be an offer of work, other times a roster
cycle of an Officer may need to be filled. As with all casual employment, an additional
20% loading is paid on top of the base rate of a Full time Officer in lieu of annual leave or
sick leave entitlements.
Our Shifts
Officers work on rotating rosters that cover 8 hours a day, Monday through to Friday
between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:30 pm however, afternoon, weekend and night work
may be required.
Training
It is a condition of appointment to this position (both full time and casual) that the
Ambulance Transfer Officer course must be successfully completed during the allocated
period. This is a Monday – Friday full time paid course generally conducted at the
Ambulance Education Unit, situated on the Flinders University campus. Availability to
participate in this course is mandatory for successful applicants.
Career Development
SA Ambulance Service can only offer career development based on ability and suitability.
The opportunity of advancement is offered on the basis that applicants meet the required
pre-requisites of any particular vacancy and successfully achieve further assessments that
may be required.
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The Selection Process
Pre-employment Tests
Cognitive Aptitude Test
These tests are used to ascertain an applicant’s level of education and knowledge. Most interstate
Ambulance Services use similar tests. Test results form one component of the selection process.
This is a timed test and no computer skills are required.
Candidates are required to correctly answer as many questions as possible in allotted time.
This is a computerised question and multiple choice answer assessment of verbal reasoning,
numerical ability and abstract reasoning pitched to a Year 12 standard of education.
Examples are:
Verbal:
…..is to one as second is to…… A) two-middle B) first-fire C) first-two D) rain-fire
Answer: C)
Definition of QUICK – 1) soft 2) quiet 3) fast 4) early 5) sharp
Answer: 3) Fast
Numeracy:
What is the next in this sequence?
2,6,4,8,6,10,8
Answer 12 (+4, -2)
Abstract Reasoning: What is the next in this sequent of events?
X
X
X
Answer:
x
Personal Profile
There are no correct answers in this assessment. It is designed to profile your likes, dislikes or
preferences.
An example of a question follows:
“I prefer to watch television news services in preference to television sports coverage.”
Choose: Always,
Sometimes,
Never
Additionally a clinical psychologist is present through the interview process.
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Medical and Physical Assessments
(For candidates who progress to this stage)
The Medical and Physical Fitness Assessment includes:
� Flexibility
� Power
� Endurance
� Functional Strength
Preparation for a physical assessment cannot be done in a short time frame. Medical
clearance should be obtained prior to starting any exercise program. Help for a training
program can be obtained from someone with a degree in sports science of human
movement. A list is available from the Australian Association of Exercise and Sport
Science (www.aaess.com.au) for recommendation of an accredited trainer or coach.
Manual handling is defined as any activity requiring a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry,
move, hold or restrain any animate or inanimate object. Most of a Paramedic or
Ambulance Transfer Officer’s work involves manual handling, or more specifically patient
and equipment handling. Officers frequently perform all of these functions with patients
weighting up to and over 150kg, while simultaneously implementing various pre-hospital
emergency care procedures. For an individual to successfully perform these types of tasks
concurrently they must have:
• The intellectual capacities to perform the pre-hospital care procedures
• The physical ability to perform the manual handling component of patient care.
It is acknowledged that injury prevention is multi-factorial. Functional fitness relevant to the
physical demands of the work is important, as one of the components in the range of
strategies designed to reduce injury and promote the health of employees. Consequently,
selection of individuals who are functionally able to perform such duties is an important
strategy in reducing workplace injuries.
Research was conducted by SAAS to develop a functional fitness screening protocol
which is used as part of the selection process for new recruits. Most standards for SAAS’
medical requirements are found in the Commercial Vehicle Driving Standards - Assessing
Fitness to Drive document which can be accessed through their website
www.austroad.com.au.
The functional fitness testing protocols were designed in conjunction with profession
providers by assessing the performance of current operational staff to establish some
baseline data for comparison with applicants. They were validated with work related
situations to ensure the tests accurately reflected the duties performed during ambulance
related work.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
SAAS does not provide direction for self assessment and advises that intending
applicants should engage qualified assessors to conduct tests in a suitably
supervised environment with specialised equipment.
Tests include but are not restricted to the following:
Height and weight assessment
• Height and weight are measured to calculate applicants BMI
Clinical assessment of joints
• Examination all joints of the body
• Testing ranges of movement, with overpressure of significant joints
• Repeated range of movement testing of some joints
• Hyper-mobility assessment of nine joints
• Palpation of significant joints
Clinical assessment of muscle endurance
Five muscle endurance / strength tests are performed as part of the clinical examination
• Wall squat
• Abdominal strength
• Abdominal endurance (hold for 120 seconds)
• Double leg hold
• Supine neck hold
Fitness assessment
• The Astrand Step Test to predict VO2 max
Static strengths test
The applicant’s static strength is measured in 5 distinct test procedures
• Static biceps strength
• Static leg lift
• Static push
• Static Pull
• Grip Strength
Dynamic lift capacity
• Dynamic lift capacity from 250mm – 870mm
• Minimum test requirement is a safe lift of 41kg minimum from 250mm to 870mm
Applicants will be assessed on their overall fitness standards in relation to the
above information.
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