As we come to the end of another very challenging year for paramedics and health care workers, we wish to extend our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s award winners - Paramedic Preceptor of the Year – Mark Ward and Early Career Paramedical Writers Award – Nick Abussi.
Paramedic Preceptor of the Year – Mark Ward
Mark, or “Wardy” as he is known has been a paramedic since 2004 but has been working as a volunteer first responder since 1999. His career has seen him work in roles such as officer-in-charge, clinical support officer, operations supervisor, clinical deployment supervisor, clinical educator and senior clinical educator. He has mentored paramedicine students across Australia as well as humanitarian health workers in Nepal. Currently, Mark is working as a field officer in far North Queensland where he is mentoring remote paramedics. For his decades of work mentoring, Mark is our inaugural Paramedic Preceptor of the Year Award winner.
Early Career Paramedical Writers Award – Nick Abussi
Nick has been a paramedic since 2011 and has worked in numerous locations throughout Queensland. In 2017 he became a Critical Care Paramedic and in 2018 he co-founded the Free Radicals Paramedic Podcast which quickly gained an international following. Nick's first published article titled “Red Light, Blue Light, No Light” quickly became a topic of discussion and was downloaded over 1000 times in its first week. For his success Nick is our inaugural Early Career Paramedical Writers Award winner.
These awards are designed to recognise and celebrate people or teams of people who have given valuable service over an extended period to the advancement of paramedicine related health care, education, and writing. If you know of a paramedic preceptor worthy of recognition, or if you are an early career paramedical writer, check out the eligibility criteria found here and nominate in 2022.
Please join us in our congratulations to Nick and Mark, paramedic award winners in 2021.