Advanced paramedic
Encyclopedia
Advanced Paramedic is the highest clinical level (level 6) in pre-hospital care in the Republic of Ireland
based on the standards set down by PHECC
, the Irish regulatory body for pre-hospital care and ambulance services. Advanced Paramedics are employed within the statutory ambulance services; the HSE National Ambulance Service
and Dublin Fire Brigade
working both on ambulances and emergency response cars.
(PHECC level 5) employed within an ambulance service for a minimum of three years post-qualification. The course is run in conjunction with the School of Medicine
, University College Dublin
. Successful candidates receive the National Qualification in Emergency Medical Technology - Advanced (NQEMTA) from PHECC and the Graduate Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology (GradDip.EMT) from UCD. Upon receiving the qualification, Advanced Paramedics must then register with PHECC as level 6 practitioners in order to practice their skills.
to provide pre-hospital advanced life support
as part of the ambulance service for the general public, thus increasing survival rates among critically ill/injured patients. The programme is based on the United States
EMT-P programme. The first Advanced Paramedics in Ireland were trained in the US as EMT-Ps. The following is a list of just some of the skills in the AP scope of practice:
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
based on the standards set down by PHECC
PHECC
The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council is an independent statutory organisation responsible for implementing, monitoring and further developing the standards of care provided by all statutory, private and voluntary ambulance services in the Republic of Ireland...
, the Irish regulatory body for pre-hospital care and ambulance services. Advanced Paramedics are employed within the statutory ambulance services; the HSE National Ambulance Service
HSE National Ambulance Service
The HSE National Ambulance Service is the statutory public ambulance service in the Republic of Ireland. The service is operated by the National Hospitals Office of the Health Service Executive, the Irish national healthcare authority.- History :...
and Dublin Fire Brigade
Dublin Fire Brigade
The Dublin Fire Brigade is the local authority fire and rescue service for Dublin City and the majority of the Greater Dublin Area. It is a branch of Dublin City Council. There are currently 14 fire stations manned by DFB, 12 of which are full-time, the other 2 are part-time or "retained"....
working both on ambulances and emergency response cars.
Education and certification
In order to be eligible for acceptance to the Advanced Paramedic upskilling programme, a candidate must be a practicing ParamedicParamedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
(PHECC level 5) employed within an ambulance service for a minimum of three years post-qualification. The course is run in conjunction with the School of Medicine
School of Medicine and Medical Science (University College Dublin)
The School of Medicine and Medical Science at University College Dublin, was founded in 1854...
, University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
. Successful candidates receive the National Qualification in Emergency Medical Technology - Advanced (NQEMTA) from PHECC and the Graduate Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology (GradDip.EMT) from UCD. Upon receiving the qualification, Advanced Paramedics must then register with PHECC as level 6 practitioners in order to practice their skills.
Scope of practice
The Advanced Paramedic programme was introduced in 20042004 in Ireland
-Events:*1 January – Ireland takes over as President of the European Commission.*1 January – Scouting Ireland was founded.*28 February – Five people are killed in a bus crash at Wellington Quay, Dublin....
to provide pre-hospital advanced life support
Advanced Life Support
Advanced Life Support is a set of life-saving protocols and skills that extend Basic Life Support to further support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation .-Components of ALS:These include:...
as part of the ambulance service for the general public, thus increasing survival rates among critically ill/injured patients. The programme is based on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
EMT-P programme. The first Advanced Paramedics in Ireland were trained in the US as EMT-Ps. The following is a list of just some of the skills in the AP scope of practice:
- Endotracheal intubation
- ThrombolysisThrombolysisThrombolysis is the breakdown of blood clots by pharmacological means. It is colloquially referred to as clot busting for this reason...
- Administration of a large range of medicationsEmergency medicineEmergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
- Intravenous cannulation and intraosseous infusionIntraosseous infusionIntraosseous infusion is the process of injection directly into the marrow of a bone. This technique is used in emergency situations to provide fluids and medication when intravenous access is not available or not feasible.-History:...
- 12-lead ECG interpretation
- Needle cricothyrotomy
- Manual defibrillationDefibrillationDefibrillation is a common treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Defibrillation consists of delivering a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the affected heart with a device called a defibrillator...
- Cardiac pacing