The lived experiences of emergency care graduates as they transition from college to professional workplace
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Date
2021
Authors
Malgas, Arthur Mbuyiselo
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Central to every formal education qualification offered by any education and training institution is the aim to produce well-rounded graduates who have gained new knowledge, skills and professional attributes. Emergency medical care education and training programmes are no exception to this desire to produce highly skilled and well-trained graduates. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers are generally referred to as paramedics by members of the public; however, there are different levels in which they are categorised, depending on the level of training obtained and professional registration with the regulatory body. Currently, emergency care education and training in South Africa have finalised alignment with higher education after the National Emergency Care Education and Training (NECET) policy was promulgated by the minister of health. The need to review and realign EMS education and training was necessitated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Higher Education Act. This review resulted in the development of a two-year, 240-credit National Certificate in Emergency Care Technician (ECT). The previous qualification, at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 5, was phased out as per the revised Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework (HEQSF) and was replaced by a Diploma NQF Level 6 qualification. The NQF Level 5 qualification produced graduates who were eligible to register in the professional category of advanced life support (ALS) with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Graduates from the ECT programme reported being confronted by negative attitudes from experienced members of the profession and did not feel that they were being accepted during clinical practice shifts at EMS stations, especially in areas where other ALS paramedics were working. Some paramedics who had progressed to the ALS category through short courses expressed their lack of trust and confidence in ECT graduates and their capabilities. The ECT scope of practice was released by the Professional Board for Emergency Care (PBEC) and was also heavily criticised. The scope of practice allows ECTs to perform several advanced and invasive, life-saving procedures, including the administration of potent medication. Most of the resistance and criticism seemed to be based on opinions and emanated from a lack of understanding of what the training programme entailed and how it was delivered. To date, no research has been conducted to investigate the perceptions and lived experiences of ECTs trained paramedics in South Africa. This study investigated the lived experiences of ECT graduates in the North West Department of Health at the time that they made the transition into practice and their ability to practise their scope of expertise. In addition, this study formulated implementable recommendations that can be used to support graduate paramedics as they transition to the workplace. This mini-dissertation sets out the research study, which was done through focus group interviews with ECTs who were trained at the North West EMS College. A review of literature available on EMS education and ECT training, and an analysis of the clinical competencies attributed to ECTs, assisted the researcher in designing an interview schedule that was followed when conducting the semi-structured interviews. The findings of this investigation contribute to the current body of knowledge depicting how the ECTs trained in the North West Department of Health experienced their transition into practice.
Description
Dissertation (M.HPE. (Health Professions Education))--University of the Free State, 2021
Keywords
Advanced life support, Clinical skills, Emergency care technician, Knowledge, Graduate, Paramedic