And, if their efforts in treating the four passengers involved in a single-vehicle crash near Molong taught them anything, it’s that they’ve chosen the right careers.

On Saturday, August 6 a car carrying four men crashed on the Mitchell Highway near Molong.

Four final-year paramedicine students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Bathurst campus were travelling in the opposite direction, on a bus with their rugby teammates, when they came upon the scene.

The students - Mathew Schofield, Sam Ruttley, Blayne Duncan and Tom Pegler - immediately went to the aid of the four injured men, themselves footballers from Dubbo on the way to Bathurst for an AFL game.

Mr Schofield, a third year student at CSU, said the group’s reactions and movements were almost automatic.

“When we came across the overturned car, the training and skills we'd learnt just kicked in,” he said.

“It seemed natural to provide medical help at the crash site. After three years of study, it was good to be able to help and know exactly what to do and when to do it.”

The injured passengers were blessed with a double dose of good fortune when, through pure chance, a medical professional arrived on the scene soon after.

“We pulled over at the accident site, and, along with a registered nurse who was also driving past, we were able to help and comfort the injured driver and passengers until the paramedics arrived at the scene,” Mr Schofield said.

“We assisted the nurse to hold still the neck of one of the passengers. The crash victims were suffering from a range of head, facial and neck injuries as well as shock.”

All four Dubbo footballers were later taken by ambulance to Orange hospital.

Two were treated and discharged immediately while the other two were kept overnight before being cleared to leave the next day.

It was the second time in the space of months that Mr Schofield and Mr Ruttley had put their paramedics theory into practice while wearing the CSU rugby club’s colours.

Earlier in the season during a game in Narromine a player started screaming from the bottom of a ruck.

Mr Schofield, Mr Ruttley and Josh Casey – a fellow student – were able to provide assistance to Cale Oval’s lone paramedic officer, who treated the Narromine footballer.

“The three of us were able to assist her by securing the injured player's neck with a collar, drawing up pain relief, and loading him into the ambulance,” Mr Schofield said.

Narromine Rugby Club President Anthony Tuck wrote to the CSU vice-chancellor Professor Andrew Vann to praise the students.

“The assistance offered by these three men enabled the injured player to get to hospital much sooner,” Mr Tuck said.