Paramedic Transition into an Academic Role in Universities: A Demographic and Qualification Survey of Paramedic Academics in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

<p align="center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Abstract</span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Objectives</span></p><p> To identify the demographic and qualification characteristics of paramedic academics holding teaching and research positions at universities in Australia and New Zealand offering entry-level undergraduate or postgraduate degree programs in paramedicine.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Methods</span></p><p> A 17 item online normative internet survey was used to obtain demographic and qualification characteristics about the target group. The survey was divided into five categories: demographic data, professional qualifications, educational qualifications, learning and teaching experience, and level of academic skills. Data were collected over a two-month period in 2013 and then collated and reported utilising the capabilities of the Survey Monkey program.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Results</span></p><p> Of the estimated 66 eligible participants, 30 responded to the survey, 70% were male, the average age when entering academia was 43 years, and the average age when initially entering paramedicine was 23 years. Two-thirds completed their paramedic training in Australia and New Zealand, with the other third training in the UK, US, or Canada. There was a wide-range of levels of training and qualification reported with three having a PhD on entering academia, while most had little to no experience in research, academic writing, and publication.</p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Conclusions</span></p><p> Issues of the transference of cultural and professional capital from one community of practice (CoP) into another, the variance in the levels of academic qualifications amongst paramedics when entering academia, and the resources needed to mentor and educate a large majority of these new academics pose significant challenges to new academics and the universities employing them.</p><p>Key words: paramedicine, university, degree, transition, role</p>

Paramedic Judgement, Decision-Making and Cognitive Processing: A Review of the Literature

“…Many paramedics are now university trained (22), with an increasing number of countries acknowledging them as registered health professionals (23,24), and their skill set is ever growing to meet the needs and the demands of the communities they serve (25). Furthermore, the field of paramedicine has commenced developing its own body of knowledge steered by few academic paramedic experts (26,27), with the acknowledgement that what is applicable in hospital may not be 'in the field' (5). Pushing the bounds of paramedicine, the concept of mobile integrated healthcare and community paramedicine programs (involving community or extended care paramedics) has been implemented in some areas of the world with great success (28)(29)(30)(31) and recent legislative changes in England have resulted in the possibility of independent prescribing of certain medications carried out by select paramedics being more realistic than ever (32).…”

Barriers and enablers to paramedicine research in Australasia – A cross-sectional survey

“…The challenges that paramedics face when transitioning into academic roles from clinical practice when supported and recognised academic pathways are weak or absent have previously been highlighted. 16,17,28 This is perhaps particularly important for JASs that are almost completely dependent on the flow of well-educated graduate paramedics from HE to sustain their clinical workforces. They have a stake in sustaining a vibrant paramedic academic workforce that is held in the same professional esteem as those from other registered health professions.…”

No Two Systems Are the Same: Paramedic Perceptions of Contemporary System Performance Using Prehospital Quality Indicators

“…Cash et al report that 86% of the 790 education programs in the US award a certificate, with the remaining 14% awarding either a diploma, associate degree or bachelor’s degree [ 23 ]. This contrasts with the Professionally Autonomous paramedic system where a degree to entry practice is mandatory for all new paramedic applicants resulting in the baseline qualification of advanced care paramedic (or equivalent) [ 22 , 31 , 32 ]. The same drivers likely influence the results related to the administration of analgesia to patients experiencing pain and the various trauma-related interventions.…”