Hlth 1305 Health Professional Practice 1
Group Work Response Sheet
Making Links
From the information gathered, lecture, and readings the issue we’ve chosen to research is the importance of higher education for paramedics. The topic mainly revolves around supporting the statement that paramedics need higher education, considering the trends occurring in health care as well as the changes in the patterns of diseases and injuries and the expanding roles of paramedics profession (Evening Post, 2008).
Why Is This Important
The importance of investigating the issue of higher education for paramedics is derived from the way too opposing positions are presented in the literature. On the one hand, some findings support the negative impact of higher education on active paramedics. On the other hand, the changes in the paramedics’ role and the changing nature of service delivery support the need for new professional and academic requirements for paramedics’ that should be positively reflected in their qualifications.
On the negative side, a study had shown that there is a negative impact of higher education on the commitment of paramedics. A study in Alexander et al (2009) outlined that paramedic occupation commitment shows a decrease with the rise of the education level (p. 830).
Additionally, in terms of educational setting, a study of the first-year experience of paramedics in higher education, as an important development for paramedic science, the NHS and Higher Education (HE) in Wales, revealed some difficulties with the curriculum. Despite the positive outcome of the fact that students were perceiving themselves more as paramedics, rather than university students, they were also having difficulties with many of the subjects which were marginally linked to their day-to-day as paramedics, e.g. sociology, ethics (Jones et al., 2009, p.2).
Thus, the investigation of the issue was likely to add to the gaps in the literature regarding the positive outcomes higher education will bring to paramedics. At present, the support for higher education for paramedics in Australia is driven by the overall movement “toward university-based education that includes clinical placements with ambulance services as a mandatory part of any undergraduate paramedic course” (The Council of Ambulance Authorities, 2006).
Link to the ‘Big Ideas’
The gradual changes in the route to becoming a paramedic are likely to shape the profession shortly, which in turn might impact the delivery of health care services. Analyzing the upward trend of ambulance patients across Australia, it can be stated that higher education will certainly impact the capacity of ambulatory services to meet such an increase in demand (The Council of Ambulance Authorities, 2006).
With increase qualifications, the role of paramedics can transition to include other tasks and responsibilities, and extend the expertise of paramedics to include such aspects as “prehospital clinical care for patients with chronic and mental health conditions as well as extending care to work closely with the local medical programs to supports the health care needs of the rural and remote community” (The Council of Ambulance Authorities, 2006, p.4-5).
Practice – What this means for my future health professional practice (be specific here) is….?
With the integration of higher education and the paramedic profession, it can be stated that paramedics are becoming more versatile healthcare workers. For me, the investigation of such an issue is specifically important as it clarifies the different roles paramedics are taking or going to take in the health care environment.
Such clarification will help to decide on the routes that I will be able to take when further developing myself professionally. Exploring the roles that a paramedic can take in healthcare and ambulatory services will also help when seeking employment as well as when deciding to increase qualifications.
Reference List
Alexander, M., Weiss, S., Braude, D., Ernst, A. A. & Fullerton-Gleason, L. 2009. The relationship between paramedics’ level of education and degree of commitment. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 27, 830-837.
Evening Post. 2008. New era for paramedics. Evening Post (South Wales). Web.
Jones, A., Slater, J. & Griffiths, P. 2009. The first year experiences of paramedic students in Higher Education: A mixed method evaluation. [Online]. The Higher Education Academy. Web.
The Council of Ambulance Authorities. 2006. Review of the impact of the Higher Education Support Act 2003: Funding Cluster Mechanism (including Funding of Clinical Disciplines). Web.