Office of the Dean: Health Sciences

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    A framework for articulation between the emergency care technician certificate and the emergency medical care professional degree
    (University of the Free State, 2011-11-15) Vincent-Lambert, Craig; Bezuidenhout, J.; Jansen van Vuuren, M. V.
    English: The need to comply with the requirements of the SAQA Act necessitated a review of emergency care education and training in South Africa. The review and restructuring led to the creation of a formal two-year, 240-credit NQF level 5 Emergency Medical Care Technician (ECT) Qualification. The NDoH views the ECT programme as the “Mid-Level Worker” equivalent for the Emergency Care Profession. At the Higher Education level, the existing three-year National Diploma and one-year B Tech Programmes were collapsed to form a single four-year, 480-credit, NQF level 8 Professional Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree in Emergency Medical Care (B EMC). After the establishment of the two-year ECT and four-year B EMC programmes, the next challenge faced by the HPCSA, educators and educational providers within the emergency care field became that of facilitating articulation between the two qualifications. This study aimed to critically analyse and compare the two-year ECT qualification with the four-year professional B EMC degree in order to design a framework and bridging programme that may support and guide articulation between the two qualifications. An expository, retrospective analysis of existing documentation was followed by a focus group discussion with educators in the field in order to identify and explore potential obstacles and challenges with regard to articulation between the ECT and the B EMC qualifications. Finally, a detailed Delphi Questionnaire was sent to selected expert panel members. The study highlights a strong desire for articulation and academic progression within the emergency care profession. Similarities and substantial differences were identified in the scope, level and depth of knowledge of the ECT and B EMC qualifications. A framework was designed that includes a bridging programme to provide ECT graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills and insights required to enter directly into the third year of the Emergency Medical Care Degree.