During 2004 and 2005, legislation, accreditation of training and clinical protocols were established by the Department of Health & Children and the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) to allow for administration of drugs and advanced airway procedures to be carried out by Advanced Paramedics. UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science and the National Ambulance Service College ( NASC, formerly the National Ambulance Training School) received PHECC accreditation for their proposal to establish an Advanced Paramedic Training Programme. The first intake of candidates entered the programme in September 2004. The Advanced Paramedic Training Programme has three end-points associated with the agencies involved:

• Graduate Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology, UCD
• Advanced Paramedic registration, PHECC
• Certificate of Satisfactory Course Completion, NASC

Advanced clinical protocols are known as Clinical Practice Guidelines – Advanced (CPG-As) and have been developed by the PHECC’s Medical Advisory Group; there are currently 23 adult and paediatric procedures.

COURSE STRUCTURE / ASSESSMENT

BLOCK 1 MODULES

BLOCK 2 MODULES

• Classroom: All major systems/Problem Based Learning
• Clinical: Attachments in major clinical disciplines

Participating sites include:

• St. Vincent’s University Hospital
• Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
• Beaumont Hospital
• Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin
• National Maternity Hospital
• St Mary’s Hospital
• Cork University Hospital
• Galway University College Hospital
• Limerick MidWestern Regional Hospital
• Waterford Regional Hospital
• Letterkenny General Hospital
• Sligo General Hospital

• General practices country-wide

• Drug Treatment Services, Dublin

BLOCK 3 MODULES

Internship in Regional Ambulance Services and Dublin Fire Brigade.

ADVANCED PARAMEDIC TRAINING PROGRAMME (APTP): BOARD MEMBERS

In 2004, UCD and the National Ambulance Training Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly undertake the Advanced Paramedic Training Programme and to progress a range of related initiatives. The Memorandum established a Board to manage the APTP.

UCD Nominees

• Professor Gerard Bury
• Dr David Janes

National Ambulance Training School Nominees

• Mr Pat McCreanor
• Mr Macartan Hughes
• Mr Frank McClintock (from 2005)

COURSES

In 2004 PHECC and the APTP Board agreed that three courses would be completed by 2006 and would be subject to external evaluation by Professor Paul Finucane, University of Limerick.

Following completion of Courses 1 and 2 and submission of two evaluation reports to PHECC by Professor Finucane, agreement was reached on provision of further courses, with an annual intake of 48 candidates. Course 7 of the programme is currently underway with Course 8 in the planning stage.

OUTCOMES

PHECC’s Register of NQEMT - Advanced Paramedics was activated in February 2006.

On Tuesday, 25th April 2006, 29 candidates were awarded the Higher Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology in the O’Reilly Hall at UCD. This group are the first Advanced Paramedics in Ireland, a landmark in pre-hospital emergency care.

As of January 2008, 94 students have been awarded the Higher Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology.

Advanced Paramedic practice is currently being established by the Health Service Executive National Ambulance Service.

The internship component of the APTP is a novel component of advanced training programmes. The internship phases of Courses 1 and 2 have been reviewed in detail and are the subject of a peer-reviewed publication currently in progress.

FUTURE PLANS

• Calendar for courses 8 and 9 currently under review
• To continue to extend the number of hospitals / departments facilitating clinical placements
• To continue to extend the number of ambulance services facilitating the internship
• Modularisation of this course in accordance with the UCD modularisation programme will be required.

QUERIES

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Application Procedure

Nominations are submitted to UCD through the Health Service Executive (HSE)/Dublin Fire Brigade. HSE employees should contact their local service regarding the internal application process. The following are the minimum entry requirements.

Nominees must:

• Have their name entered on the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council Paramedic Register.
• Possess the UCD Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology or a third level equivalent.
• Be currently employed within the State by a healthcare provider, pre-hospital care training organisation or statutory agency charged with the responsibility for standards, education and training in the field of pre-hospital emergency care.
• Possess a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience at DipEMT level.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) within the realms of pre-hospital care.
• Be willing to commit to the ongoing development of the Advanced Paramedic Training programme for a minimum period of three years.
• Be computer literate and have continuous internet access for the duration of the programme.

Course dates:

One to two courses commence each calendar year.