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Paramedic studies for USC
30 June 2007
The special report by Toby Walker in last Saturday’s paper on the critical condition of ambulance services on the Sunshine Coast had special relevance for the University.
Our own assessment of key areas where we can make a major impact on the region through new degree programs has also identified the training of paramedics as a priority. Over the last twelve months, senior staff from the Faculty of Science, Health and Education have been scoping curriculum and staffing requirements and engaging in discussion with the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) about the feasibility of offering a new degree program from 2008. University based programs for paramedics rely heavily on a marriage between the academic knowledge required to prepare students to enter the health professions, and the specialist practitioner knowledge required of a paramedic. It is similar to the model used for the nursing profession, where we successfully launched our own degree this year. Without the cooperation of practising professionals and access to extensive practical placements for students, it just isn’t possible to offer courses that lead to accreditation.
In the case of a paramedic degree for USC, therefore, there was a dilemma. Due to staffing pressures within the Ambulance Service, they were unsure about being able to offer the level of specialist training and student supervision necessary to ensure quality graduates and a viable program. This issue is common to all the health related professions in Australia. It reflects badly on past governments, where lack of strategic vision and funding for future workforce needs in health can be directly related to current workforce shortages, overseas recruitment and the associated problems that have become endemic in the Australian health system.
So from the University perspective, it was a great relief to witness the additional resources allocated to the Queensland Ambulance Service in the recent State Government budget. This has allowed the Ambulance Service to commit to the new initiative. We are delighted about the possibilities such a partnership offers and look forward to working with them to provide an exemplar new degree.
At present, the University is writing a submission to the Commonwealth seeking new places for a Bachelor of Science (Paramedic). If the bid is successful, the program will begin in the 2008 academic year. Graduates will address a very pressing current and known future need on the Sunshine Coast and indeed Australia as a whole. It’s also a wonderful new career opportunity that can be progressed through the Sunshine Coast’s own university. Paramedics typically work as ambulance officers but there are career paths in industry and the community as well in emergency health settings. Only one other university in Queensland offers training for paramedics.
Professor Greg Hill is Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Sunshine Coast.