Assessing emergency care providers’ eligibility for progression to higher qualifications
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background. Emergency care (EC) education in South Africa (SA) has traditionally focused on vocational short-course training, leaving EC providers lacking formal EC qualifications. Legislative changes have introduced a three-tiered qualification system aligning with international and national standards. This system includes a 1-year higher certificate, a 2-year diploma, and a 4-year professional degree in emergency medical care (EMC).
Objectives. To evaluate whether current EC providers working in Limpopo Province, SA, meet the educational requirements to transition to the new National Qualification Framework (NQF)-aligned EMC qualifications.
Methods. This study employed a retrospective, quantitative, descriptive design, conducted as a desktop exercise involving EC providers working for the Limpopo state-owned Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in the Capricorn District. Using a total population sampling approach, relevant documents from the archive storeroom were included for all qualified EC providers in the Capricorn District.
Results. Of the 319 participants, 99.4% (n=317) completed matric, while 0.6% did not. The majority (56.5%, n=180) of participants were basic ambulance assistants, mostly male (61.1%) and aged 40 - 49 years (56.4%). For the higher certificate programme, 97.2% (n=308) did not meet the mathematics requirement, either because it was not one of their subjects or they did not achieve the required symbol. Similarly, 88.3% (n=280) did not meet the biology requirement, 98.1% (n=311) did not meet the physical science requirement, while 55% (n=174) met the English requirement. For the diploma programme, 98.4% (n=312) did not meet the mathematics requirement, 98.7% (n=313) did not meet the biology requirement, 99.7% (n=316) did not meet the physical science requirement, and 86.8% (n=275) did not meet the English requirement.
For the Bachelor’s degree programme, 99.4% (n=315) did not meet the mathematics requirement, 98.7% (n=313) did not meet the biology requirement, 100% (n=317) did not meet the physical science requirement, and 87.1% (n=276) did not meet the English requirement. Only three participants met the criteria for the higher certificate programme. None met the criteria for the diploma or Bachelor’s degree programme.
Conclusion. Most EC providers do not meet the prerequisite subject and symbol requirements for entry into EMC programmes. None of the participants qualified for the diploma or Bachelor’s degree programmes, and only three met the criteria for the higher certificate. This highlights educational barriers that hinder career progression for EC providers. Bridging these gaps through matric upgrade programmes, recognition of prior learning and bridging programmes is crucial to expanding access to higher education.
Downloads
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The AJHPE is published under an Attribution-Non Commercial International Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY-NC 4.0) License. Under this license, authors agree to make articles available to users, without permission or fees, for any lawful, non-commercial purpose. Users may read, copy, or re-use published content as long as the author and original place of publication are properly cited.
Exceptions to this license model is allowed for UKRI and research funded by organisations requiring that research be published open-access without embargo, under a CC-BY licence. As per the journals archiving policy, authors are permitted to self-archive the author-accepted manuscript (AAM) in a repository.
How to Cite
References
1. Rifino JJ, Mahon SE. Role of emergency medical services in disaster management and preparedness. In: Ciottone GR, ed. Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2016:13-19.
2. Afshari A, Khodaveisi M, Sadeghian E. Exploring the educational challenges in emergency medical students: A qualitative study. J Adv Med Educ Prof 2021;9(2):79-86. https://doi.org/10.30476/jamp.2021.88535.1344
3. Al-Shaqsi S. Models of international emergency medical service (EMS) systems. Oman Med J 2010;25(4):320-323.
https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2010.92
4. Nell EN. Development of quality assurance and educational guidelines for an emergency medical care preparation programme in South Africa. PhD thesis. Bloemfontein: University of the Free State, 2021.
5. Sobuwa S, Christopher LD. Emergency care education in South Africa: Past, present, and future. Australas J Paramed 2019;16:1-7. https://doi.org/10.33151/ajp.16.647
6. National Department of Health. National Emergency Care Education and Training Policy (NECET Policy). Pretoria: NDoH, 2017:1-8.
7. Vincent-Lambert C. A framework for articulation between the emergency care technician certificate and the emergency medical care professional degree. PhD thesis. Bloemfontein: University of the Free State, 2011.
8. Vincent-Lambert C, Bezuidenhout J, van Vuuren MJ. Are further education opportunities for emergency care
technicians needed and do they exist? Afr J Health Professions Educ 2014;6(1):6-9. https://doi.org/10.7196/
AJHPE.285
9. Moodley K. An investigation into the clinical practicum experience of ALS paramedic students and their preparedness for professional practice. MHSc thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University, 2016.
10. Tiwari R, Naidoo R, English R, Chikte U. Estimating the emergency care workforce in South Africa. Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med 2021;13(1):1-8. https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v13i1.3174
11. Rosslee FR. Critical care assistants’ opinions on the Health Professions Council of South Africa register closure and change in clinical practice guidelines. MHSE thesis. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand, 2020.
12. Republic of South Africa. Higher Education Act 101 of 1997.
13. Crowley T, Daniels F. Nursing education reform in South Africa: Implications for postgraduate nursing
programmes. Int J Afr Nurs Sci 2023;18:100528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2023.100528
14. Malatjie DN. Performance management: A case study of the emergency medical and response services in
Limpopo Province. PhD thesis. Durban: Durban University of Technology, 2023.
15. Ndlovu S. Access into professional degrees by students with disabilities in South African higher learning:
A decolonial perspective. Afr J Disabil 2019;8(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v8i0.514
16. Connelly DM, Guitar NA, Atkinson AN, Janssen SM, Snobelen N. Learnings from nursing bridging education
programs: A scoping review. Nurse Educ Pract 2024;74:103871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103833 17. Mothokoa NB, Maritz J. Recognition of prior learning candidates’ experiences in a nurse training programme.
Health SA Gesondheid 2018;23:a1080. https://doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v23i0.1080
18. Jooste K, Jasper M. A framework for recognition of prior learning within a Postgraduate Diploma of
Nursing Management in South Africa. J Nurs Manag 2010;18(6):704-714. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365- 2834.2010.01160.x