Paramedic higher education: Findings of a comparative review

Introduction: The paramedic workforce is currently under pressure to adapt to the changing needs of the healthcare system, and the education sector is required to follow with the current and future education of paramedics being crucial to the changing role of paramedics. The United Kingdom was chosen for this comparative study as previous research has linked the model of paramedic education in the United Kingdom with the education requirements in Australia, as a result of the previous Council of Ambulance Authority (CAA) professional competency standards being informed by the standards of proficiency for paramedics as set out by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). This study reviewed how curriculum in Australia and New Zealand can be adapted to meet the same requirements of higher education institutions in the UK. Methods: This review involved a systematic stepwise approach to descriptive content analysis. In this study, we considered a review of grey literature; university curriculum documents, professional body documents, and accreditation documents that were read to identify existing approaches to curriculum guidance in paramedic education. A comparable document review was undertaken with an in-depth curriculum analysis. Findings: The use of the fields of study as set out by the College of Paramedics was undertaken against the baccalaureate curriculum: Physical Sciences. Life Sciences, Social, Health and Behavioural Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Ethics and Law, Patient Assessment, Care Delivery, Leadership Attributes, Public Health and Wellbeing and Evidence-Based Practice and Research. Subjects were identified based on their titles and abstracts or subject profiles. Overall, we found that 18 universities met only three subject topics, life sciences, patient assessment, and care delivery. Conclusion: With a rapidly evolving scope of practice directed towards a primary health care model within Australia, it would have been expected that the analysis of subject matter explicitly identified themes related to primary health care. Most universities offered subjects with a focus on social, health and behavioural science, which are usually contemporary public health issues and include the prevention and treatment of lower acuity conditions. Yet only one university identified primary health care as an area for curriculum development. This review has recognised a scarcity of research into higher education paramedicine, specifically an absence of evidence-based curriculum underpinned by conceptual or theoretical frameworks. Coupled with the variation in paramedic education being taught across Australia and New Zealand with no consistency even with the categories outlined by the College of Paramedics.