Paramedic Professionals Essay

Although paramedics wrench alongside separate emergency go and wellness divvy up providers, they argon not assort as health fretfulness employmentals, at that placefore, working independently from these organisations and self-governingly at bottom their witness cite ambulance organisations. by dint of exploring the evolution of paramedic consecrate and their role as a health administer provider, the current status of paramedics as a semi trade is explained along with what further development is needed before they become a value profession.In understanding how paramedics work autonomously inwardly their own put in ground organisations, the concept of scope of dedicate and turn up based practice is explored. Finally by discussing how paramedics ar independent, we establish paramedics role and position within the Australian wellness C are musical arrangement. A paramedic is a health safeguard victor At present in Australia, paramedics are not classified as registered health tutorship victors. (Smith 2012) Instead, paramedics are widely regarded as semi-professionals with the potential to become a fully recognised profession in the near future.The definition of profession and the guidelines to become a recognised profession are not black and white. Professions Australia defined a profession as a disciplined group of respective(prenominal)s who adhere to honorable banners and who possess fussy knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of encyclopaedism derived from research, information and training at a high level. (Allied Health Professions Australia 2008 8) Whilst Wilinsky (1964) describes 4 key elements that are essential for the process of professionalization.These include the implementation of a unified code of ethics and regulations, attaining professional licencing, registration and accreditation, the establishment of university learn and knowledge and the development of full-time occupation and formation of occ upational territory. over the past 20 years the roles of paramedics contrive changed rapidly, with changes still occurring at the present. Paramedics subscribe transitioned from stretcher bearers knew as ambulance officers, to todays paramedics who are full time workers and are adequate to(p) to administer extensive pre hospital care.Along with the changes to the nature of the paramedics job, there has similarly been a signifi open firet change in the way paramedics are trained. cooking for paramedics has transitioned from on the job training provided by State and Territory Ambulance function to vocational qualifications and much recently, higher instruction (University) sector qualifications. (Williams, Brown, Onsman 2012 6) These changes to higher education training and full time employment, has allowed for paramedics to move one step appressed in becoming a recognised profession.A review of parkland professional traits suggests two main areas where the discipline falls short and it is that paramedics do not have national registration and regulation resulting in professional self-control and accreditation and they do not nationwide qualifications that link from tertiary education to the paramedic services (Williams, Brown, Osman 2012 1) Firstly, registration in the context of health care professionals, is the process of licensing and registering clinicians to practice at a uniform national standard of care. Productivity Commission 2005 in Williams, Brown, Osman 2012 7) Registration allows for consistency in education and training nationwide, and ensures paramedics work within the provisions of their scope of practice. (Council of Ambulance Authorities 2008) Secondly, there are no national university standard degree competencies or a national curriculum in relation to paramedic training. This leads to an inconsistency amongst the curricula taught to paramedic students. This is further aggravated by ambulance services as they work independently fro m the Australian Health care System and of the universities as well. Williams, Brown, Osman 2012) In conclusion, without the implementation of nationwide registration, licensing and education qualifications, paramedics will continue to be recognised as a semi-profession. Operating autonomously Paramedics are allied health care providers who are operating autonomously at a state level within their own ambulance services. The United States National Library of Medicine defines autonomy as the decisions and the freedom to act in accordance with ones professional knowledge base. (Nurs 2010 1) In the paramedic profession this knowledge base is cognise as a scope of practice. Within each state based paramedic organisation, there is legislation and guidelines that outline the scope of which a sealed qualified paramedic can work in. Scope of practice refers to the purpose to which providers may render Health care services and the extent they may do so independently and the type of diseas es, ailments, and injuries a health care provider may address and what procedures and medication they can provide. (Prats amp Katz 2012 13)For example, in Queensland, whilst out on road paramedics have the freedom to make their own decisions and judgments based on their knowledge, as long as it is legal in the legislation of the Queensland Ambulance Service Ambulance Service Act 1991 (Qld) and within the scope of practice of the paramedics qualifications. (Queensland Consolidated Acts 2010) As paramedics gain further knowledge and undergo more training, the scope of practice of this paramedic will increase. The larger the scope of practice, the more autonomously the paramedic is able to operate.Currently in Queensland there has been an increased consciousness of poorer persevering outcomes and difficulties in accessing medical help in rural and out-of-door areas. (Horizon 2007 in OMeara 2011) In an attempt to increase positive patient outcomes, expanded scope roles have been int roduced into the Australian Health Care System, allowing current paramedics to apply skills and protocols for which they were not originally trained. (Sterling, Pedler, Walker 2007) This increases the paramedics autonomy within their ambit which allows them to work for better patient outcomes.Paramedics are also highly autonomous as they frequently use evidence based practice as a means of new research and technique. In the pre hospital care environment, rather than making decisions about practice actions based on routine and traditionally taught methods, paramedics use evidence identified from well-constructed studies as a al-Qaida for the clinical decisions and behaviours. (Curtis amp Ramsden 2011 111) Evidence based practice occurs through integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. (Sackett amp Rosenberg 1996 1) This can only occur when an individual is given autonomy within their field of work. In conclusion, as paramedics have the freedom to make decisions within their scope of practice and can expend evidence based practice, paramedics are autonomous within a state level. Operating independently within The Australian Health Care System Although paramedics work along-side the Australian Health Care System, paramedics are independent of this system. The Houghton Mifflin smart set 2011 defines independent as being not governed by a unconnected power self-governing. Paramedics are governed by their own state based organisations and are separate and independent of the hospitals and the Australian Health Care System. When dealing with all misconduct or inquiries, unlike nurses and doctors whose governing power is the Australian Health Care System, paramedics approach their own state based organisation. In conclusion, as yet though the paramedics work in conjunction with other health care providers some(prenominal) in and out of the hospital setting, paramedics governance is independent of other health care services and the Australian Health Care System. Willis, McCarthy, Lazarsfeld-Jensen and OMeara 2009) Conclusion In conclusion paramedics are autonomous and independent health care providers who work along-side the Australian Health Care system. Although paramedics work alongside other emergency services and health care providers in both the in and out of hospital care environment, they are not classified as health care professionals. But with the implementation of nationwide curricula and ethical standards, paramedics can move from a semi profession to fully recognised profession.Paramedics have the freedom to make decisions within their scope of practice and can utilise evidence based practice, making paramedics autonomous within a state level. Through the broadening of paramedics scope of practice in legitimate environment such as rural areas and through the use of evidence based practice we see efforts to increase positive patient outcomes. Fina lly, paramedics are independent from the Australian Health Care System as they are self-governed by their own state based organisations.