For those who yearn to be at the sharp end of the medical profession where the action is, becoming a paramedic could be the just the ticket. doctorjob investigates.
They are a bit of a head-turner, aren’t they? You often hear them before you see them. Sirens blaring, lights flashing: ambulances form a vital part of our emergency services – and the crews are capable of giving the unfortunate the vital medical care they need while they are being whisked to hospital.
It wasn’t always the case. Years ago, the crew were just drivers. They literally arrived, plonked you on a stretcher, loaded you in the ambulance and got you to a hospital as fast as possible.
Now it’s a bit different. Ambulance crews in Malaysia are no longer just drivers. They are required to deliver emergency care to help stabilise people in need of medical assistance, so that they can survive the journey to hospital. These crews are usually certified emergency medical technicians, meaning that they provide basic medical care.
However, now even that is not enough. More is demanded of the crews, as part of the ongoing effort to provide high-quality healthcare in Malaysia.
Suited and booted
Enter the paramedic. Aside from the obvious high-speed journey, paramedics will arrive at the scene and have to assess the situation and how best to proceed. If, for example, it’s an old auntie who’s taken a tumble in a shopping centre, then they will make her comfortable before transporting her to the nearest hospital.
Of course, if it’s a multivehicle pile-up on the KL-Seremban highway, then things are quite different. The paramedics will co-ordinate with the police and the fire brigade to treat those who need it most first – giving much more than basic first aid – and get them to hospital as fast as possible. In these cases, there will often be at least one doctor there too, to supervise and provide more specialised medical care.
Fledglings begin to hatch
As mentioned, paramedics undergo intense training. They are not simply glorified first-aiders. They must be able to assess a patient’s condition, provide vital care and prepare the patient for transport to hospital.
Until now, Malaysia’s problem is that it lacks paramedics and, more importantly, the facilities to train them. This situation is slowly beginning to change.
Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences offers a Diploma in Paramedical Sciences and has recently graduated a class of paramedics for the Red Crescent. The 30-month programme teaches students various facets of paramedic care and management. The students qualify for a Certificate in Emergency Medical Science Technician – Basic (the current minimum qualification for ambulance crews in Malaysia) after the first 12 months.
The course is accredited by the MQA and the university is also looking to tie the course in with an overseas institution.
In April 2009, the Health Ministry’s Medical Emergency and Trauma Department head, Prof Datuk Dr Abu Hassan Asaari Abdullah, said that a location for a new paramedic training facility had been identified in Sabah. He further commented that Sabah appeared to be the ideal location for a number of reasons, including Sabah having new ambulances and equipment but not enough trained staff to operate them.
While courses in Malaysia are still in their infancy, other developed nations have had paramedical science courses for many years. Typically, you will study:
- Year one:
- communication skills
- exploring the context of health and social care
- concepts in biological sciences
- foundations of paramedic practice
- clinical theory for paramedics (introductory)
- Year two:
- research methods
- living and working in a diverse world
- pathophysiology for paramedic science
- clinical theory for paramedics (advanced)
- paramedic practice
- physical assessment and clinical reasoning.
Note: for those who feel the need to be behind the wheel, racing along at breakneck speed, a paramedic does not normally drive the ambulance. This is often done by an ambulance technician whose responsibility is the vehicle and its equipment. The paramedic is in the back, tending to the patient’s needs.
Like many of the medical professions, becoming a paramedic is something that you must want to do, not just because it sounds cool. You will be treating people who require emergency care, which at times can be as gruesome as it is traumatic – such is the nature of the job.
Nevertheless, medics the world over always talk about the personal rewards they feel in doing a worthwhile job. They quite literally are on the front line, giving the best possible care to the sick and injured before passing them on to hospital staff.
There is a shortage of staff in Malaysia but, as previously mentioned, there is also a lack of training facilities. Still, as the old proverb says: from small acorns grow tall oak trees. Malaysia is constantly striving to improve its medical services. Paramedics will be no different.
This article first appeared in doctorjob CoursesNOW! Health and Science 2010.