Regulating Paramedics: Understanding Your Professional Obligations

What is this article about?

The inclusion of paramedics into the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) for Health Practitioners acknowledges the growth and development of what was once a volunteer service that has since gained status as an occupation and is now recognised as a profession. Prehospital care in Australia began with ambulance services that were developed to provide a safe, fast and efficient method of patient transport to hospital, rather than for the provision of medical care. However, over time, and partly in response to an acute need for high-level prehospital care, the role of the stretcher-bearer developed into that of the ambulance driver and then the ambulance officer as these workers began to undertake on-the-road and vocational training.