New policy a blow for majority of paramedics

Paramedic training is set to change significantly from the end of the year, potentially leaving some careers in limbo and emergency services short of staff.  Until now, more than 80 percent of paramedics have qualified via the short-course method, doing their training, then working in between to progress up the qualification ladder.

Theresa Taylor: The Star, 11 February 2014

The abolishment of the short training courses was gazetted last month and signed off by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. From the end of the year, students will need to do a four-year university degree to become an advanced paramedic. This follows the recommendation of the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) for a policy review and a belief that the short courses do not properly qualify paramedics.

With the cut-off at the end of the year, those at basic or intermediate level will not be able to upgrade unless they do the four-year university degree. Victor Voorendyk, spokesman for the Emergency Care Society of South Africa (ECSSA), said currently, registered people would be able to keep practising at their current level of qualification, but the regulations would severely limit their opportunities or advancement. Although there will still be one-, two- and four-year degree-level qualifications, it will not be easy to upgrade from the one- or two-year course to degree level, and people will not be given credits for the short courses. Voorendyk said the ECSSA supported the HPCSA's decision, but felt that the implementation was an issue and there should be a better-developed transition period to protect medics working currently.

He said the primary concern was ensuring that the needs and aspirations of short-course-qualified practitioners were not left at the wayside. Clint Cronning, a trainer at Ambutek private ambulance training college, which does short courses, said the changes would be detrimental to the industry. He said universities would not have the staff to train enough medics to keep up with industry demands. Cronning said he believed it was "absolute rubbish" that standards were not up to scratch, as medics from South Africa were accepted around the world. He said short courses had been the backbone of emergency services and had been saving lives for many years.