Emergency Care Practitioner
Encyclopedia
An Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP) may come from either a paramedic
, nursing
or allied health professional
background and most have additional academic qualifications, usually at university, with enhanced skills in medical assessment and extra clinical skills over and above those of a standard paramedic, qualified nurse or other ambulance
crew such as technicians
. It has been recommended by the College of Paramedics that ECPs be trained to PgDip or MSc level, although not all are.
, primary care centres, hospitals, prisons, walk-in centres, or out-of-hours medical centres. The majority of ECPs work autonomously. Many are employed by Primary Care Trusts or Ambulance Services. The work of the ECP appears to be recognized as a valuable asset in many care arenas with the current trend of employment within primary care practices becoming more prevalent.
are educated to different levels. In some areas a BSc or Post Graduate Certificate (PgC) makes one an ECP while in other areas an MSc may be needed.
A number of British universities are developing qualifications which can allow a paramedic or nurse to gain employment as an ECP.
University of Hertfordshire
:
University of Plymouth
:
are educated up to the level of BEMC/BTech - a four-year professional degree. The only four institutions currently presenting the ECP qualification are:
(Full scope as per HPCSA)
As a result the role has now expanded to parts of Canada
, New Zealand
and Australia
. All of these are largely based on the UK model.
Paramedic
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...
, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
or allied health professional
Allied health professions
Allied health professions are clinical health care professions distinct from dentistry, nursing and medicine. One estimate reported allied health professionals make up 60 percent of the total health workforce...
background and most have additional academic qualifications, usually at university, with enhanced skills in medical assessment and extra clinical skills over and above those of a standard paramedic, qualified nurse or other ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
crew such as technicians
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
. It has been recommended by the College of Paramedics that ECPs be trained to PgDip or MSc level, although not all are.
Employment
ECPs may be employed in any area of care such as emergency medical servicesEmergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
, primary care centres, hospitals, prisons, walk-in centres, or out-of-hours medical centres. The majority of ECPs work autonomously. Many are employed by Primary Care Trusts or Ambulance Services. The work of the ECP appears to be recognized as a valuable asset in many care arenas with the current trend of employment within primary care practices becoming more prevalent.
United Kingdom
ECPs in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
are educated to different levels. In some areas a BSc or Post Graduate Certificate (PgC) makes one an ECP while in other areas an MSc may be needed.
A number of British universities are developing qualifications which can allow a paramedic or nurse to gain employment as an ECP.
University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...
:
- FdSc Paramedic Science - 3 years
- BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science - 4 years
- PgC Patient Assessment and Management (Primary Care or Critical Care Pathways available)
- MSc Paramedic Science - by research
- MPhil Paramedi Science - by research
- PhD Paramedic Science - by research
- DHRes Doctorate in Health research
University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
:
- BSc (Hons) Paramedic Practitioner- 3 years
South Africa
ECPs in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
are educated up to the level of BEMC/BTech - a four-year professional degree. The only four institutions currently presenting the ECP qualification are:
- University of JohannesburgUniversity of JohannesburgThe University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Technikon Witwatersrand and the Rand Afrikaans University . Prior to the merger, the Daveyton and Soweto campuses of the former Vista University had been incorporated into RAU...
- Central University of TechnologyCentral University of TechnologyCentral University of Technology, Free State or Central University of Technology is a University of Technology in Bloemfontein in the Free State province of South Africa. It was established in 1981 as "Technikon Free State". As part of the South African government's restructuring of tertiary...
, Bloemfontein - Durban University of TechnologyDurban University of TechnologyThe Durban University of Technology is a University of Technology in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was formed in 2002 by the merger of Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon and was previously known as the Durban Institute of Technology. It has four campuses in Durban, and two in Pietermaritzburg...
- Cape Peninsula University of TechnologyCape Peninsula University of TechnologyCape Peninsula University of Technology, a university in Cape Town, South Africa, is the only university of Technology in the Western Cape province, and is also the largest university in the province, with over 32,000 students.-History:...
, Cape Town
United Kingdom
Additional skills which UK ECPs may perform include:- Administration of certain medications under patient group directives (PGDs) such as antibiotics
- Suturing, Steri-Strips (adhesive skin closure strips), and tissue adhesive wound closure (gluing of wounds)
- Minor surgicalSurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
procedures in the field (such as removal of skin flaps) - Urinary catheterizationUrinary catheterizationIn urinary catheterization , a latex, polyurethane or silicone tube known as a urinary catheter is inserted into a patient's bladder via his or her urethra. Catheterization allows the patient's urine to drain freely from the bladder for collection. It may be used to inject liquids used for...
(placing a Foley catheterFoley catheterA Foley catheter is a flexible tube that is often passed through the urethra and into the bladder. The tube has two separated channels, or lumens, running down its length. One lumen is open at both ends, and allows urine to drain out into a collection bag...
) - System-based assessment
- Otoscopy, ophthalmoscopy, urinalysis
- Neurological assessment (such as tendon reflexes, cranial nerve assessment (CNI-CNXII), MMSE)
- Ordering X-rayX-rayX-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
s and requesting further investigations - Full UK advanced adult and paediatric life support skills
- Full diagnostics assessment
- Thrombolysis
- On-scene discharge
South Africa
ECP skills in South Africa include:- Full South African advanced life support skills
- Full diagnostics assessment
- ThrombolysisThrombolysisThrombolysis is the breakdown of blood clots by pharmacological means. It is colloquially referred to as clot busting for this reason...
, fibrinolysisFibrinolysisFibrinolysis is a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic. This process has two types: primary fibrinolysis and secondary fibrinolysis... - Rapid sequence intubation
- On-scene discharge
- Specialized intensive care unit transport
(Full scope as per HPCSA)
Emerging roles and opportunities
Since around 2008, the role of the ECP has become more popular around the world as the demonstrable benefits of the role become apparent.As a result the role has now expanded to parts of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. All of these are largely based on the UK model.
See also
- Clinical officerClinical officerClinical officers are health care providers who practice modern medicine. They practice independently but may be supervised by a physician in some settings....
- Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
- Emergency medical services in South AfricaEmergency medical services in South AfricaEmergency medical services in South Africa are a public/private system aimed at the provision of emergency ambulance service, including emergency care and transportation to hospital.- Land Ambulance :...
- Emergency medical servicesEmergency medical servicesEmergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
- ParamedicParamedicA 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...
External links
- http://www.emergencycarepractitioner.com
- http://www.paramedicpractitioner.com/