Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Paramedic Registration - Good or Bad?

It seems inevitable that paramedics will eventually become registered practitioners when the registration process is implimented. Australia is lobbying hard for it as is the NZ Ambulance board. So will registration be a good or bad thing? Here are the pro's and Con's as I see it.













Pro's:

  • Your qualification will be more internationally recognised / portable
  • Increased public awareness of a paramedic qualification
  • Standardisation of skill sets nationally
  • Potentional increase in skills
  • Less influence from any single Medical Director on protocols
  • Skill sets should be based on best practice from panel of experts
  • Right to practice will not necessarily be dictated by an ambulance service
  • In theory should lift level of expertise in the industry 
  • Should be a fairer system in deciding right to practice (less subjective)
  • Rogue practitioners will be weeded out
  • Broader opportunities for employment across the sector
  • We get to wear another pretty badge

Con's

  • WAY more personal accountability (not everyone ready for this)
  • We will have to pay for the priveledge to do something that currently costs us nothing
  • We will need to provide annual proof of practice which may mean relying on an ambulance provider to employ us (unless this is broadened to include other medical practice)
  • Legal accountability will fall on individuals and not Medical Director as it does now
  • Consequences of mistakes are far more serious and may result in suspension of registration during investigation instead of being delat with 'in-house'
  • We currently rely on a large proportion of volunteers who may not want the responsibility of being registered and result in decrease numbers of volunteers
  • The cost of registration may not be met by employers particularly for casual employees
  • Unsure how an appeal process would work if board decision does not seem fair
  •  False accusations or complaints from patients resulting in board investigations could ruin a career
Obviously this is not an exhaustive list and just my thoughts. Im not sure NZ is ready for registration yet and we have a long way to go to prepare for it. It would appear however that registration is coming whether we like it or not.


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