Role of the Paramedic
The Paramedic Profession is rapidly changing and progressing with a focus upon bringing the right skills to the patient. The National Health Service (NHS) now needs an ambulance service that can treat patients at scene reducing the need for hospital admission. The modern Paramedic is equipped with the skills and drugs to treat critically ill and injured patients at scene and transport patients to a hospital with the facilities to provide definitive care.
The typical workload of a modern Paramedic largely consists of mental health, social and primary care needs. Life-threatening conditions make a small, but significant, proportion of ambulance visits. This has led to the emergence of the Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP) who is an advanced skills practitioner, much like a Nurse Practitioner. The Emergency Care Practitioner has access to much more drugs, working under Patient Group Directions and referral pathways to community services. Many Emergency Care Practitioners work within primary care, General Practice and out-of-hours services.
Recognising the value of advanced skills at the roadside in major trauma has led to the role of the Critical Care Paramedic (CCP). This rapidly evolving role has already seen paramedics performing life-saving procedures on the roadside and may lead to even more advanced skills such as anaesthetising patients or internal cardiac massage.
The future of paramedics is exciting. Paramedics may be able to prescribe over the coming years, they will start to infiltrate all areas of the NHS with a unique skill set and they will be better educated in order to ensure these changes can be realised and sustained.
The typical workload of a modern Paramedic largely consists of mental health, social and primary care needs. Life-threatening conditions make a small, but significant, proportion of ambulance visits. This has led to the emergence of the Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP) who is an advanced skills practitioner, much like a Nurse Practitioner. The Emergency Care Practitioner has access to much more drugs, working under Patient Group Directions and referral pathways to community services. Many Emergency Care Practitioners work within primary care, General Practice and out-of-hours services.
Recognising the value of advanced skills at the roadside in major trauma has led to the role of the Critical Care Paramedic (CCP). This rapidly evolving role has already seen paramedics performing life-saving procedures on the roadside and may lead to even more advanced skills such as anaesthetising patients or internal cardiac massage.
The future of paramedics is exciting. Paramedics may be able to prescribe over the coming years, they will start to infiltrate all areas of the NHS with a unique skill set and they will be better educated in order to ensure these changes can be realised and sustained.
