Belgrave paramedic educator Jessica Joy Drummond has been awarded the Ambulance Service Medal (ASM) for distinguished service as a member of an Australian ambulance service.
Ms Drummond, who has served with Ambulance Victoria since 2009, said the news she would receive the honour was both surprising and deeply personal.
“To be honest, it was a little bit surreal,” she said.
“There’s a family connection to Australia Day for me, my grandmother was nominated several times by my mum and her sisters, and she never won the award, the day I found out I was nominated was actually on my grandmother’s birthday, so it was a really beautiful personal connection.”
She said the recognition was never something she had been working towards.
“I was a bit surprised to be nominated in the first place, because the work I’d been doing wasn’t for recognition,” she said.
“It was really about looking at a community group and putting measures in place to make sure we could get the best possible outcomes for cardiac arrest victims in Monbulk and the surrounding areas.”
Ms Drummond began her ambulance career in rural Victoria, starting in Castlemaine at just 21 years old, an experience she said shaped both her clinical approach and her passion for education.
“I’d moved out of home properly for the first time and into a rural community, which gave me a very different side of life that I hadn’t experienced before,” she said.
“There was a strong sense of community ownership, people knew ambulances were a limited resource and really valued the service.”
“Working with people during serious medical events or trauma is definitely career-shaping, and I was lucky to learn from colleagues with a huge amount of experience behind them, including MICA (Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance) paramedics who were educating us as students.”
Now a paramedic educator based out of Burwood station, Ms Drummond said mentoring graduate paramedics is one of the most rewarding parts of her role.
“I struggled a bit as a student,” she said.
“At 21, I thought I was a grown-up and had all the life experience I needed, looking back, I definitely wasn’t as emotionally prepared as I thought I was.”
“Being in the educator space helps me recognise when people are feeling out of their depth, and being able to hold their hand, guide them, and talk about what’s normal afterwards – that’s really important.”
She said education, both within Ambulance Victoria and in the community, continues to drive her work.
“There’s nothing better than seeing someone’s eyes light up when a concept finally clicks,” she said.
“You get that one magic moment, then all the dominoes start to fall, and they’re heading in the right direction.”
In October 2024, Ms Drummond led Monbulk’s Heart Safe initiative, a community-wide program aimed at improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.
The project delivered rapid results, with AED access increasing from one to 17 devices and the number of registered GoodSAM responders tripling.
“I was incredibly fortunate to link in with a community that was already heading in that direction and just needed a bit of guidance,” she said.
“There are so many passionate community groups and members in Monbulk, without their drive, the results we achieved wouldn’t have happened as quickly as they did.”
Ms Drummond has also played a key role in strengthening partnerships between ambulance services, CFA and other first responders, something she said is critical in emergency situations.
“Good communication and strong relationships absolutely help when you’re working big scenes like crashes or rescues,” she said.
“Knowing each other’s equipment, processes and capabilities makes a real difference to patient outcomes.”
Looking ahead, Ms Drummond hopes the recognition highlights the value of education, community preparedness and leadership, particularly for women in emergency services.
“I hope it shows young females that they can go out and do amazing things with their careers and be recognised for the hard work they put in,” she said.
“These goals aren’t just for people who’ve been in the job forever.”
On Australia Day, Ms Drummond will be working her shift, but plans to celebrate afterwards with family.
“We’ll definitely be sitting down together with a glass of champagne,” she said.
“My mum and my aunties will be super excited, and we’ll probably have a toast to Nan as well.”
