A new report shows some Victorian paramedics are under stress levels akin to a mental disorder. 

The study by researchers at Swinburne and RMIT universities reportedly shows Ambulance Victoria employees at breaking point.

Missing meal breaks, working overtime, and gruelling night shifts with no rest time are taking their toll.

More than a third of those surveyed said they felt burnt out by their work, with 10 per cent saying they may leave the profession in the next year.

A majority said they feared that any mistakes they made at work would be held against them.

Around 10 per cent of respondents were found to be exhibiting stress levels comparable to having a severe psychological disorder, while a quarter said they were under moderate levels of psychological distress.

It is about double the rate of psychological distress as in the general community. 

Researcher Peter Holland said the study shows there is a dangerous level of emotional exhaustion in the workforce.

“They're under very significant levels of stress, to the extent that some of these people need some help themselves in that sense,” Professor Holland said.

The survey covered about one in five on-road Ambulance Victoria employees, and was completed during Melbourne's second COVID-19 lockdown last year. 

But Professor Holland says the situation is likely to be the same today, as many paramedics’ workloads have increased since the lockdown ended.

Dr John Bonning, president of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, says the fact that the number of hospital beds has not kept up with population growth in recent years means paramedics are doing more work and dealing with more stress. 

“This would have happened with or without the pandemic,” he said.

The Victorian Government says it will announce more than $750 million in the upcoming budget for more paramedics.

More details are accessible here.