Arrive Alive

How do I become a Paramedic?

Paramedic and EMS Training in South AfricaParamedic and EMS Training in South Africa

Many young South Africans wish to become paramedics, however many do not know what the requirements, different training options are and how to access them. Most people also don’t know that there are several different qualifications available and several different levels of care which paramedics operate at.

One of the main functions of paramedics is to provide emergency medical care to patients in the pre-hospital setting. This means that the patient is not in a health facility and is essential, where ever the patient is. This could be at the patient’s house or workplace, in the street, or down an embankment. Paramedics respond to the patient and treat and stabilize the patient on scene before transporting the patient to a health facility in an ambulance.

Paramedics can provide more than just simple 'first aid'. Procedures and interventions that can be provided by paramedics differ, according to their qualification (which is discussed below).

Paramedics also continue the medical management of patients in the ambulance while the patient is being transferred between hospitals.

Paramedics can also be trained to perform a medical rescue, which includes using the 'jaws of life' to rescue people from crushed cars and using complex rope rescue systems to rescue people in the mountains.

Being a paramedic is not a 'job' but a calling, which requires you to be:

  • Confident
  • Outgoing
  • Physically fit and healthy

The demands placed on paramedics can be demanding and stressful, it is, however, a rewarding profession which is developing.

These are currently the different levels of care which paramedics in South African can perform:

Basic Life Support (short course)

These practitioners provide Basic Medical Care interventions to patients in Emergencies. This will include CPR, stopping of bleeding, helping women in labour and other non-invasive procedures.

Intermediate Life Support (short course)

These practitioners provide Intermediate Medical Intervention including IV therapy (drips) Bronchodilators, Defibrillation (shock)& chest decompression etc.

Emergency care technician

Two years of formal training.

Advanced Life Support Paramedic

This category of staff is pre-hospital Advanced Life Support providers. This includes; Advanced Airway Management, IV Drug Therapy up schedule 7 drugs, advanced midwifery, Advanced Resuscitation, Aviation Medicine, Marine Medicine.

South African advanced life support Paramedics are highly in demand throughout the world due to the nature of training and skills.

However, there have been massive changes in the way paramedics are trained. There is no longer registration of Basic ambulance assistants and Ambulance emergency Assistants/ ILS, with the HPCSA. They have been replaced with courses that are all NQF recognised and that can smoothly progress from one course to the other.

These are:

  • ECA - Emergency Care Assistant. This will be a one-year course.
  • Diploma in Emergency Medical Care. This will be a two-year course, or only one year if the ECO has been completed.
  • Bachelor of health sciences- this is a four-year course provided at universities. It is level NQF8 and equips the paramedic with all the necessary skills to practice as advanced life support.

Some private colleges have started training for the ECA and Diploma Emergency Medical Care courses. Several universities currently offer a Bachelor of health sciences. In Kwa-Zulu Natal, the Bachelor of Health Sciences is provided at Durban University of technology and more info is available at:

http://www.dut.ac.za/faculty/health_sciences/emergency_medical_care_and_rescue/

Entry Requirements:

The applicant with a national senior certificate with a higher certificate endorsement must have the following subjects and ratings: Either 1 or 2 or 3:

1. The applicant with a Senior Certificate (Prior to 2009) must have at least a minimum of an E symbol on Higher Grade or a D symbol on Standard Grade for all of the following subjects:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Biology and/or Physical Science

2. National Senior Certificate and must have an achievement rating of at least a Rate Code 3 (40%-49%) for each of the following subjects:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Life Sciences and / or Physical Sciences

3. National Certificate (Vocational), must have achieved a minimum pass of 60% for all of the following subjects:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Life Sciences and / or Physical Sciences

Please note these are provisional symbols and subjects and they may be changed by the relevant universities.

KZN EMS only does in-house (for KZN EMS staff only) medical training at our college.

The department of health does offer Bursaries and more details are available at:

http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/bursaries.htm

When the department advertises posts they are advertised at:

http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/vacirs.htm

There is more information on KZN EMS and how we work at:

http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/EMS.htm

Also View:

Information on how to become a Paramedic

How to Become a Traffic Trainee

How do I become a firefighter?

How do I become a Driving Instructor?

Loading...

Search Road Safety Articles

Latest Pages

Safely Driving and Operating Forklifts

Safely Driving and Operating Forklifts

In recent years we shared several incidents from emergency medical services where people were injured in incidents involving forklifts. These included road crashes, rollovers as well as accidents in the loading of these vehicles. Reports also included crush injuries to those operating the forklift

Read More

56 Fatalities in a Year - The Demise of Motorbike Delivery Riders

56 Fatalities in a Year - The Demise of Motorbike Delivery Riders

The rise of online shopping has led to the demise of delivery riders countrywide in South Africa. At what point will South Africans rise, have a conscience and say that the death of a human being is not worth the cost of an on-time delivery? When I was 9 years old, I climbed out of a wrecked car and

Read More

Safety on the Road to Sports Stadiums

Safety on the Road to Sports Stadiums

Introduction South Africa is experiencing a huge inflow of visitors to sports events. The country has been recognized as an excellent host nation for sports events, and international competitions in cricket, rugby and football are attracting many of these visitors. We have experienced amazing interest

Read More

License / Learner Applications

License / Learner Applications

This was a pass rate of 39.3%. * There had been 1.95 million applications for learners’ licenses of which 1.074 million had been issued or a pass rate of just more than 55%. Reasons for so many failures Asked why there was such a high failure rate and such a long waiting period for licenses,

Read More

Standard Operating Procedures for Arrest and Detention

Standard Operating Procedures for Arrest and Detention

Background Emanating from various consultative sessions which primarily aimed at reducing the number of incidence of civil claims through sustainable professional practice. Therefore, this necessitated Division: Visible Policing to develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for arrest and detention. A

Read More

Pedestrian safety from snakes and snake bites

Pedestrian safety from snakes and snake bites

Article & photos by Robert McKenzie, KZN Emergency Medical Services Media Liaison Officer INTRODUCTION South Africa has several endemic snake species. Just mentioning the word snake is enough to send cold chills down most people’s backs. Despite, most people having a phobia for snakes.

Read More

Load More Pages

Partners

View All