Ambulance Services

Ambulance Services (Pre-Hospital Emergency Care)

Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Workers are the first ones at the scene of an accident and act in the most quick and efficient way possible to help those injured. Their work entails responding to emergency calls and transporting people to hospital, and depending on the particular situation they may need to treat people at the scene of the accident. The layman’s term is ‘ambulance drivers’ yet the responsibilities involve much more than merely piloting the vehicle. Extensive training in emergency medical treatment and first aid is necessary, and an ability to react well in pressure situations is a fundamental requirement for this career.

There are three types of professional employed in the pre-hospital emergency care sector: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Paramedic (P) and Advanced Paramedic (AP). The Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) governs the education, training and qualification of each role.
 
Education

An EMT can provide basic life support and is the minimum professional level that is recommended to provide care and transport of an ill or injured patient. The duration of education and training is five weeks and is designed to provide the EMT with the knowledge and skills for working primarily in patient transport services and in supporting the pre-hospital response to patients accessing the 999/112 emergency medical services. Successful completion of an EMT course at a PHECC-Recognised Training Institution entails four weeks theory and one-week clinical practice and assessment.

Paramedic (P)
A Paramedic can provide intermediate life support, including the skills listed for EMT This is the minimum professional level that is recommended to provide care and transport of an ill or injured patient following a 999/112 call. The paramedic is principally engaged in responding to patients who access the 999/112 service for emergency medical assistance.

The education and training for Paramedics includes 28 weeks of theory, supervised clinical practice on emergency ambulance vehicles and healthcare service placements as well as a one-year internship. In addition, successful completion of a structured competence assessment during the one-year internship including case study submission, completion of professional development modules and competency assessment is required to become a fully registered paramedic.

EMTs and paramedics can work for the National Ambulance Service; Dublin Fire Brigade; fire, rescue and auxiliary services; as well as voluntary or private ambulance services.
Advanced Paramedic (AP)
An AP can provide advanced life support and is a registered practitioner who has at least three years’ experience as a paramedic. The AP standard of education and training prepares graduates for their role as clinical leaders and expert practitioners in the field of pre-hospital emergency care. There is no direct entry to this course of training and candidates are experienced Paramedics principally employed by the National Ambulance Service and Dublin Fire Brigade.

The Work

A career in pre-hospital emergency care is very rewarding, fulfilling and challenging. Employment opportunities exist in the statutory services – Health Service Executive (HSE) and Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) as well as with private ambulance companies.

The pre-hospital emergency care practitioner workload can be quite varied dependant on which service they work for.

In the HSE, practitioners deal with four types of call categorised as AS3, AS2, AS1 and Inter Hospital Transfers. AS3 calls are routine calls and require basic skills. AS2 calls are usually doctor’s urgent calls and may require interventions. AS1 calls are emergency calls and can be life threatening to the patient. Inter Hospital Transfers may be classed as either routine transfers (for example, patient with fracture) or emergency transfers (patient with serious head/brain injury).

Practitioners in DFB respond to 999/112 emergency calls in Dublin city and county and are deployed in ambulances. When not on ambulance duty they are deployed by the service to accident and emergency scenes in fire engines as a back up to the ambulance service.

Did you know?

Contrary to the first aid myth, in the unlikely event that you or a friend is bitten by a snake you should never attempt to suck out the poison. Seeking medical attention immediately is the more appropriate response.

Further Resources

• Health Service Executive (HSE): www.hse.ie
• Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council: www.phecc.ie
• St John Ambulance Brigade: www.sja.ie