New South Wales Ambulance Acronyms and Shortenings List

New South Wales Ambulance Acronyms and Shortenings List

A non-exhaustive list of acronyms and shortenings commonly used in the NSW Ambulance Service and the broader Ambulance Division.

Acronym Meaning Area Notes
TFRs Taxpayer Funded Rosters Campaigns ADHSU campaign to ensure all rosters at every station are filled, fulfilling
the promise to the public of adequate ambulance coverage across NSW.
DnD Death and Disability Campaigns The Death and Disability Campaign run by HSU members won better Death and Disability coverage for paramedics, was some fo the first instances in the Ambulance Division of members using liquid chalk on the sides of the Ambulances.
Control Control Centre Locations The Control Centre is where '000' calls for Ambulance are taken and
ambulances are dispatched to jobs. There are four Control Centres for NSWA. Sydney, Southern (in Shoalhaven), Western (in Dubbo) and Northern (in Newcastle)
SOC State Operations Centre Locations Often 'The Soc' The State headquarters for NSW Ambulance, location right next to Olympic Park train station in the old Commonwealth bank headquarters, this building will soon also encompass Sydney Control Centre, VCCC and other functions. NSWA HQ used to be at Rozelle.
SOP Sydney Olympic Park Locations Where State headquarters is. Sometimes people will refer to it as Homebush which is a nearby suburb.
ECMO Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Medical Jargon The ECMO machine is normally only available in hospitals but now can be mobile. Keeps blood flowing during a cardiac episode.
ECG Electrocardiogram Medical Jargon Sometimes EKG. Heart monitor, that provides a graph of heart activity, often used during a cardiac episode or arrest.
LUCAS LUCAS Machine  Medical Jargon A machine that does chest compressions for CPR to save doing it manually.
Stryker Stryker Medical Jargon Stryker is a brand that manufactures many medical devices, including the LUCAS, but the term strykers is sometimes used to refer specifically to the patient stretchers in the vehicles. 
HALO High Accuity Low Occurrence  Medical Jargon /
Working Terms
Often 'HALO Skills.' These are skills paramedics must maintain
through training as they don't often occur in their day-to-day duties. Especially important for Intensive Care.
AHPRA Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Organisations The professional body that regulates paramedics, they must pay yearly
registration fee and complete training to remain current qualified paramedics.
NSWA New South Wales Ambulance  Organisations  
HSPTS HealthShare Patient Transport Services Organisations Also runs Linen and other services, but in Ambulance Division is responsible for PTOs.
LHD Local Health Districts Organisations  
USU United Services Union Organisations The union representing calltakers in the Control Centre.
APA Australian Paramedics Association Organisations Rival union. 
ASMOF Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation Organisations Doctors union - the good ones that work in public health for the right reasons
CEC Clinical Excellence Commission Organisations The Clinical Excellence Commission is the lead agency supporting safety
and quality improvement in the NSW Health system.
FLM Frontline Leadership Model Projects  
SWEP State Wide Enhancement Project Projects Completed 2022 delivering 750 Paramedics and Control staff. People can say a station was 'SWEPed' - meaning it got more staff as part of this project.
SWIFT Strategic Workforce & InFrastructure Team Projects $2billion, stations and 2500 new staff (500 rural). ONGOING
CSP Clinical Support Paramedic Projects  
RHWIS Rural Health Workforce Incentive Scheme Projects NSW Government program which provides a payment to SOME rural
health workers, including paramedics (sometimes) in hard to fill positions and areas.
P1T Paramedic Level 1 in Training Work Level Paramedics in training with a Bachelor's degree who are in their first year of
consolidation with the Service, they must be supervised by a fully qualified paramedic on duty.
PETP Post Employment Tertiary Pathway Work Level Trainees who are studying paramedicine through an approved university
while they work for NSWA on road at a very limited scope.
P1 Paramedic Level 1 Work Level The standard paramedic level. 
ICP Intensive Care Paramedic Work Level Specialist paramedic (level 3 on Award) - specialisation is toward high acuity emergecy cases
ECP Extended Care Paramedic Work Level Specialist paramedic working on lower accuity but more complex cases (level 3 in award). This role is designed to keep people out of hosptial. Often works as single officer and does not work nights.
CCP Critical Care Paramedic Work Level Highest level paramedics, mostly work in aeromedical on the helicopters (level 4 in award)
EMD Emergency Medical Dispatcher Work Level New preferred term for Control Centre Officers.
CCO Control Centre Officer Work Level The Dispatchers in Control, not calltakers.
DCCO Duty Control Centre Officer Work Level Second in charge in the Control Room. Pronounced 'Docco'. One below SCCO.
SCCO Senior Control Centre Officer Work Level Pronounced 'Socco.' The person in charge of the Control Centre on a given shift.
DOM Duty Operations Manager Work Level  
ZM Zone Manager Work Level  
ADCO Associate Director Clinical Operations Work Level  
CE Clinical Educator Work Level  
Supers Superintendents Work Level  
PE Paramedic Educator Work Level  
PTO Patient Transport Officers Work Level No longer working for NSWA. Patient Transport Officers can work through
HealthShare, the LHDs (Public Health) or private companies. They are non clinical and complete non emergency transports of stable patients, sometimes in a double PTO crew or a crew of a PTO and a nurse.
ODR On-Duty Relief Working Terms  
GD General Duties Working Terms Often 'GD Car'. A general duties crew, as opposed to an Intensive
Care crew or car.
NEPT Non-Emergency Patient Transport Working Terms Another term for Patient Transport. Often used by Control.
RSP Rapid Single Responder Working Terms  
DDNN Day-Day-Night-Night Working Terms A shift pattern, in a 4 by 5, a paramedic works two day shifts, and two night shifts before having five days off
DDAN Day-Day-Afternoon-Night Working Terms A shift pattern, in a 4 by 5, a paramedic works two day shifts, an afternoon shift (12pm start) and a night shift before having five days off
4 x 5 Four by Five (Roster) Working Terms 4 shifts on, 5 days off
VCCC Virtual Clinical Care Centre Working Terms "V triple C" 
SOU / SOT Special Operations Unit / Special Operations Team Working Terms  
Cat 1/2/3/4 Catergory 1 - 4 Working Terms The different catergories of jobs paramedics go to. Cat 1 being the most
urgent response needed, and Cat 4 being the least urgent.
CAD Computer Assisted Dispatch Working Terms The computer system used by Control to track jobs and cars. May hear in 'CAD outtage' - when this system goes down, often in a planned outtage once or twice a year to perform system maintenance. 
P-suffix Priority suffix. Working Terms A 'P' for 'Priority' placed after a job (often Cat 3 or 4, i.e. 'CAT3 - P') in CAD to signal that it is more urgent than other jobs of the same catergory and must be dispatched before those same jobs, even if the other jobs in the same catergory have been waiting longer. Source of a fight with members about under what circumstances this suffix can break a crib.
Crib Crib Break Working Terms A 30-minute paid break in the shift. A crib can be 'broken' - interrupted, or missed or a 'crib away' - which means a break taken away from the home station. Broken, missed and away cribs incur a penalty payment.
ACE Aeromedical Crewing Excellence Working Terms Aeromedical special training for CCPs, also done with doctors.
CSP Clinical Support Paramedic Work Level Role that is still being introduced - registered paramedics that help make decisions about prioritising deployment in Control Centres
3 Up Three Up Working Terms Three Up on a Car. Three paramedics assigned to one car, there are normally two. 
COC Certificate of Capacity Working Terms Certificate from their GP. Needed for workers comp.
E-list Eligibility List    
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