The current base education for a paramedic is a degree; 3 years of uni specialising in pre-hospital care, usually followed by 1 year of employment as a paramedic to be recognised as "qualified" (similar to what nurses have to do here). Untgil there is national registration, each state will continue to have slightly different requirements :huh: ... That's for ALS level. And, as has been much discussed here, there are differences in scope of practice between the different EMS providers here and internationally.
To qualify as an ICP paramedic, you usually need to have been practicing at an ALS level for 2 years post-qualification and then undertake an internal ICP course. While the course is internal, it includes a graduate diploma from a recognised university. Victoria has had a graduate diploma requirement for many years, so I suspect you would need to have at least that level of education to be considered for ICP here.
:excl: If you want to fully understand our scope of practice you should look at these
guidelines . This is what Victorian paramedics (ALS & ICP/MICA) use. Note that they are guidelines only and we can operate outside them
if justified . What this means is that I could, as an ALS paramedic, perform an ICP level procedure if a) I was trained b)the patient clearly needed it c) it was clinically, ethically, and legally justifiable d) I have consulted with a higher medical authority if available (ie; one of our senior ICP's in the control room, a doctor at the receiving hospital, or another reasonable source) e) it is reasonable to do so. The last point underpins much of Australian law in this regard - ie; what would a reasonable person with the same level of education, training and experience do in the same situation.
That said, not many paramedics of any level will operate outside our guidelines without consultation. a) because it is generally easy to consult b) because the guidelines are pretty comprehensive and being added to every year (using evidence based research) and c) because you
will cop a clinical review and need to attend a please explain meeting which is painful. However, consultation is an everyday occurrence here and is used to form part of the evidence base for instituting change (yes, it is encouraged).
I hope that helps to answer some scope questions for you.
Now, regarding portability and recognition. There are two ways you could do this;
1. Apply to a specific ambulance service in Australia. Contact them and request info regarding their specific educational and experience requirements. Then, compare your education to their requirements (see RPL below) and note all matches and mis-matches (you will need to explain why the mis-matches are irrelevant - if they are). Now, get a copy of their Clinical Practice Guidelines (all Australian services have them, and they are named as such) and compare what you currently do with theirs; CPG by CPG, again noting any differences. If you come up as meeting all the requirements, then you can write to them and explain why you would be a great asset to their service and ask for an interview. Of course, they may just want to see you in person. No one ever said this was easy! Oh, and you will also need a work visa before you can apply. See the
Department of Immigration for further info. I don't know of any service that will sponsor you.
2. RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning). Australia uses a national framework of educational qualification that enables you to have qualifications from one university recognised by another. The beauty of this is that you can have international qualifications recognised as well. To do this you will need to find a university that is willing (read helpful and proactive) to go through the process with you. Once that is done, you wil need to compare your current qualification with theirs. To do this, you need the course, unit and subject outlines from both universities and compare them. Once again, you need to note the matches and mis-matches. Any mis-matches can be dealt with by enrolling with that university and completing their degree by distance education (but only the units you require - the mis-matches essentially). You then end up with an Australian degree which will be recognised by any service here.
Option 1 is good if you have the education, skills and experience to match the service in the state you want to live in (more research there!). Option 2 is good if you aren't sure or if you don't meet Australian education requirements.
Option 1 is painfully long and tedious (which probably explains the lack of international paramedics, but there are some here). Option 2 can be expensive (you need to check out the university fee structure for international students)
Clear as mud? I thought so! It is a difficult process, but it is possible. First you need to make the decision about whether or not you want to live and work in Australia. You should also check out the cost of living and pay rates. Also, be prepared to do a lot of leg-work in getting all your paperwork and cross-referencing done.
Good luck! Let me know if you want any other info.
P
PS: There is an ex-AV paramedic working in/around Whitehorse...
.....
