Dr Buck Reed1
1Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia
Biography:
Dr. Buck Reed is Lecturer in Paramedicine at Charles Sturt University with over a decade in academia and 19 years of clinical practice. He is a Registered Paramedic in Australia with both rural and metropolitan experience. Buck’s research focus is the intersection of paramedicine and social sciences, wellness and professionalisation.
Abstract:
Over the past two decades, paramedicine in Australia and New Zealand has transitioned from a post-employment, academy-based education model to a pre-employment, university-based degree model. During this period, the paramedic student population and workforce have become increasingly diverse, with many entrants bringing existing wellbeing challenges such as neurodiversity, lived experience of trauma, and diagnosed functional conditions.
Historically, wellbeing education was largely viewed as the responsibility of employers. Increasingly, however, wellbeing is recognised as a core paramedic capability that must be developed prior to workforce entry. As a result, universities now play a critical role in building students’ wellbeing capabilities and preparing them for the demands of clinical practice.
In response to this need, Charles Sturt University has developed an evidence-based framework that embeds wellbeing education across the entire paramedicine degree. The framework is designed to better prepare students for the paramedic workforce and aligns with both the University’s broader wellbeing strategies and existing industry approaches. It delivers a graduated wellbeing curriculum structured around eight key wellbeing domains, beginning with wellbeing literacy and culminating in more advanced concepts of wellbeing leadership.
The overarching aim of this framework is to fully integrate wellbeing throughout the paramedicine program and produce graduates with well-developed wellbeing capabilities. Its development involved a comprehensive evidence-based review of contemporary wellbeing strategies, alongside consultation with an expert panel comprising industry and clinical professionals. Implementation of the framework commenced with first-year students in 2026 and will be progressively rolled out in line with Charles Sturt University’s new paramedicine curriculum.