ude Paramedic, Paramedic Intern, Paramedic Specialist, Clinician, MICA Paramedic, Intensive Care Paramedic. Academia and publications relating to the profession in Australia are using the nomenclature Paramedic Practitioner.
Paramedic education depends on the entry requirements for employment by the state based Ambulance Service. Ambulance Victoria, SA Ambulance Service, Ambulance Service of NSW have Graduate entry programs. Students will undertake a three year pre-employment Bachelor degree in Health Science specializing as a Paramedic Practitioner. The degree title varies from each University. The Universities offering programs include Monash University, Victoria University, Flinders University, Charles Sturt University and Edith Cowan. On completion Students can apply for employment with there respective state Ambulance Service. After successfully meeting the entry requirements for employment the Student Paramedic will complete a twelve or twenty four month internship. Upon completion of the internship Students attain certification to practice as a Paramedic. The Paramedic Practitioner can then advance clinical status to Intensive Care Practitioner, or undertake specialised education and training in other fields for example rescue, aeromedicine. Another method is to apply for employment directly to the state Ambulance Service and undergo an internal Diploma of Health science program. This program will generally take up to three years to complete with the respective employer. The Ambulance Service of New South Wales and Queensland Ambulance Service offer this entry pathway. The Graduate pre-employment entry model is becoming popular, and there is a move by the Australian profession to continue this pathway.
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Paramedics normally function under the authority (medical direction) of one or more physicians charged with legally establishing the emergency medical directives for a particular region. Paramedics are credentialed and authorized by these physicians to use their own clinical judgment and diagnostic tools to identify medical emergencies and to administer the appropriate treatment, including drugs that would normally require a physician order. Credentialing may occur as the result of a State Medical Board examination (U.S.) or the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (U.S.). In England, and in some parts of Canada, credentialing may occur by means of a College of Paramedicine (http://www.britishparamedic.org/). In these cases, paramedics are regarded as a self-regulating health profession. The final common method of credentialing is through certification by a Medical Director and permission to practice as an extension of the Medical Director's license to practice medicine. The authority to practice in this semi-autonomous manner is granted in the form of standing order protocols (off-line medical control) and in some cases direct physician consultation via phone or radio (on-line medical control). Under this paradigm, paramedics effectively assume the role of out-of-hospital field agents to regional emergency physicians, with independent clinical decision-making authority that is typically enjoyed only by expert clinicians within the hospital setting. In some parts of Europe, those in the paramedic role are only permitted to practice many of their advanced skills while assisting a physician who is physically present, except in cases of immediately life-threatening emergencies. In certain other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom and South Africa, paramedics may be entirely autonomous practitioners capable of prescribing medications.
In the media[change | edit source]
The 1970s television show Emergency! was a very popular series which centered on the work of paramedics in the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and the staff at the fictional Rampart Emergency Hospital. Emergency! has been widely credited with inspiring many municipalities in the United States to develop their own paramedic programs, and has inspired many to enter the fields of emergency medicine. The show was