New Zealand relies upon nearly 3,000 volunteer Ambulance Officers who operate at or are studying towards the Technician (BLS) level and around 1,000 paid Officers who are either Paramedic (ILS) or Intensive Care Paramedics (ALS). There are a few paid BLS Technicians but they are few and far between and eventually no paid Technicians will exist.
Volunteer training has been a significant problem for at least the last decade with increasing expectations both from within Ambulance and external (eg public and allied health professionals). Previously our volunteers had mainly operated at a level called Primary Care which was a five day course and would be equivalent to an EMT in the US; they could administer oxygen, paracetamol, entonox and aspirin as well as perform a basic primary survey and package the patient. Beyond Primary Care one became a qualified Ambulance Officer which took anywhere up to a year requiring completion of an ethics course, driving, two large blocks of A&P assignments and 2x 10 days in class to learn the practical aspects of the AO scope of practice. By nature of its design it was difficult if not downright impossible for volunteers to complete all the requirements, although some did and it often took a year or more.
In 2005 Ambulance in New Zealand began a total overhaul of our education system and introduced a new qualification known as the National Diploma in Ambulance Practice. This is our volunteer qualification, one which all volunteers are required to complete within a set time-frame and it gets them up to a good base level of skill and knowledge which is appropriate for thier role as a volunteer. It gives volunteers a range of high benefit, low risk treatment modalities and allows them to both support a Paramedic or Intensive Care Paramedic (or another Technician) and to be supported in thier clinical development by a higher qualified Officer.
This new course uses the internet to deliver the bulk of the theory material and has a range of interactive materials designed to deliver learning outcomes so that when students meet for practical sessions they are more hands-on and simulation based rather than sitting there learning about cells and tissues and bronchoconstriction.
A student will complete the course in four phases and it takes around a year.
Phase 1 (four weekends): Local orentation, professional communication, personal safety and driving.
Phase 2 (five days): First Responder and Ambulance Assistant courses
Phase 3 (six weeks): Core skills
Phase 3 (eight weeks): Medical
Phase 4 (eight weeks): Trauma
There is ongoing clinical mentoring, a clinical workbook and intergrated reflection/development exercises built into the course which culimates in final simulation and viva-voce assessments. When all these are passed satisfactorily the student recives Authority to Practice as a Technician and has the following scope of practice:
- Oxygen
- OPA, NPA, LMA
- Entonox
- Methoxyflurane
- GTN
- Aspirin
- Salbutamol
- IM Glucagon
- Ondansetron
- Paracetamol
- Glucose 10% (PO)
- Semi auto defib
- Acquire and perform basic 3 lead interpretation
It would seem if we can produce comptent Officers who can use such a scope of practice in a standardised timeframe that even with the delineated education model used in the US surely it is not that difficult?
*Brown shakes his head sadly and climbs back into his helicopter
Ambulance, Medivac airborne
Volunteer training has been a significant problem for at least the last decade with increasing expectations both from within Ambulance and external (eg public and allied health professionals). Previously our volunteers had mainly operated at a level called Primary Care which was a five day course and would be equivalent to an EMT in the US; they could administer oxygen, paracetamol, entonox and aspirin as well as perform a basic primary survey and package the patient. Beyond Primary Care one became a qualified Ambulance Officer which took anywhere up to a year requiring completion of an ethics course, driving, two large blocks of A&P assignments and 2x 10 days in class to learn the practical aspects of the AO scope of practice. By nature of its design it was difficult if not downright impossible for volunteers to complete all the requirements, although some did and it often took a year or more.
In 2005 Ambulance in New Zealand began a total overhaul of our education system and introduced a new qualification known as the National Diploma in Ambulance Practice. This is our volunteer qualification, one which all volunteers are required to complete within a set time-frame and it gets them up to a good base level of skill and knowledge which is appropriate for thier role as a volunteer. It gives volunteers a range of high benefit, low risk treatment modalities and allows them to both support a Paramedic or Intensive Care Paramedic (or another Technician) and to be supported in thier clinical development by a higher qualified Officer.
This new course uses the internet to deliver the bulk of the theory material and has a range of interactive materials designed to deliver learning outcomes so that when students meet for practical sessions they are more hands-on and simulation based rather than sitting there learning about cells and tissues and bronchoconstriction.
A student will complete the course in four phases and it takes around a year.
Phase 1 (four weekends): Local orentation, professional communication, personal safety and driving.
Phase 2 (five days): First Responder and Ambulance Assistant courses
Phase 3 (six weeks): Core skills
Phase 3 (eight weeks): Medical
Phase 4 (eight weeks): Trauma
There is ongoing clinical mentoring, a clinical workbook and intergrated reflection/development exercises built into the course which culimates in final simulation and viva-voce assessments. When all these are passed satisfactorily the student recives Authority to Practice as a Technician and has the following scope of practice:
- Oxygen
- OPA, NPA, LMA
- Entonox
- Methoxyflurane
- GTN
- Aspirin
- Salbutamol
- IM Glucagon
- Ondansetron
- Paracetamol
- Glucose 10% (PO)
- Semi auto defib
- Acquire and perform basic 3 lead interpretation
It would seem if we can produce comptent Officers who can use such a scope of practice in a standardised timeframe that even with the delineated education model used in the US surely it is not that difficult?
*Brown shakes his head sadly and climbs back into his helicopter
Ambulance, Medivac airborne
