There are usually three levels of emergency medical technician (EMT) certification for the emergency medical services (EMS): entry, intermediate, and advanced. Paramedics (sometimes referred to as ambulance officers) possess the advanced (or highest) level, which can only be achieved after some 1200-1800 hours of training.
Paramedic training needs to be extremely rigorous; these are, after all, the people who attend to the injured or ill at the scene of a medical emergency. In a rescue mission, it is often a paramedic who takes the lead, and who has the most responsibility for decision-making. For this reason, paramedic training generally comprises two major components. The first focuses on advanced life support as well as many of the functions of a basic EMT; these include performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), treating wounds, delivering babies, and undertaking patient assessments prior to arrival at the hospital. The second is crisis management, including strong leadership, keeping calm and composed, and being able to perform life-saving functions in stressful situations.

This report outlines the best practices research undertaken by BPIR.com in paramedic training. The best practices have been compiled under seven main headings. This layout is designed to enable you to scan subjects that are of interest to you and your organisation, quickly assess their importance, and download relevant information for further study or to share with your colleagues.
 
 

In This Report:

1. What is a paramedic, and what does paramedic training entail?
2. Which organisations have received recognition for the excellence of their paramedics or their paramedic training?
3. How have organisations reached high levels of success in paramedic training?
4. What research has been undertaken into paramedics and paramedic training?
5. What tools and methods are used to achieve high levels of success in paramedic training?
6. How can the effectiveness of paramedics and paramedic training be measured?
7. What do business leaders say about paramedics and paramedic training?

Access the report from here. At the bottom of the page is a PDF version of the report for easy reading. If you are a non-member, you will find some of the links in this report do not work. To join BPIR.com and support our research simply click here or to find out more about membership, email membership@bpir.com. BPIR.com publishes a new best practice every month with over 80 available to members.