From saving lives to shaping them: Matt’s Paramedicine journey comes full circle

First published by University of the Sunshine Coast

Tom Snowdon

Matthew Hill never saw himself becoming an academic – he wasn’t even particularly interested in high school, finishing with grades low enough to exclude him from entry to most university degrees.

But even back then, living in regional Victoria, he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to helping others.

“I wanted to do something I thought was important,” Matt recalls years later. “I knew I wanted to serve the community.”

That originally presented itself with a slightly misdirected attempt at studying Animal Technology through TAFE for the first year after finishing high school.

But there was always a call in the back of his mind that beckoned him – it was Paramedicine.

Matt knew he lacked the grades to get into the degree so searched for other options – he found it in the Tertiary Preparation Pathway (TPP), a free UniSC program guaranteeing you entry into a degree.

Studying was different this time – and it wasn’t just the change of scenery that went along with moving from Victoria to the Sunshine Coast. 

“In high school I never applied myself as much as I could have,” Matt says. “But when I enrolled in TPP it was different – I didn’t want to mess up because I wanted to get into Paramedicine.”

“TPP guaranteed me entry into uni but not necessarily the degree I wanted straight away – it was on me to get the grades to ensure that happened.”

Matt ended up excelling in TPP, gaining entry into Paramedicine – a career that he’s never questioned since setting foot in it more than a decade ago.

“Right from the get-go, I really enjoyed it – particularly using all the gear in the lab classes and going out on placement and working in the field,” Matt says.

“It was a real eye opener.”

Once he graduated, Matt spent years as a paramedic in various roles, including Advanced Care Paramedic II and Critical Care Flight Paramedic.

“I just loved going to work every day – you never really know what you’re going to be doing,” he says. “Every day is so different.

“But beyond that, there’s a lot of privilege that comes with being able to help someone in their time of need.

“For a lot of patients, it’s usually one of the worst moments of their life – if we can make that a little better, that is very rewarding.” 

It’s easy to imagine Matt making a positive impact in a critical situation. He’s calm, personable, quietly spoken and makes those around him feel at ease – it’s one of the reasons he’s so popular with his students.

But it would take four years of working as a paramedic before he set foot into a casual academic role. As it was with starting study, right from the moment he started teaching, he loved it.

“Seeing students start to really ask questions – to think critically – that’s really rewarding because that’s exactly what you need to do as a paramedic,” he says.

“You often turn up to a job with very limited information – you really have to work through that with critical thinking to solve problems on the run.”

“It’s great to see that transformation start happening in students.”

For anyone who’s been around campus, the Paramedicine students always stand out. For starters, they’re usually dressed in their Paramedicine student uniforms.

But it’s more than that – they’re a tight cohort. There is an obvious sense that they’re more than classmates – they’re friends.

Matt puts that down to one major contributing factor: Sunshine Coast University Paramedics Association (SCUPA) – the Paramedicine student organisation.

“They do a great job of building community and supporting each other,” he says. “And that’s a big part of being a paramedic – working together.”