The proposed expansion of the paramedic program at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will lead to a better trained workforce to meet the complex needs of modern emergency care and will save lives. The proposal is as part of CSU’s $63.6 million bid to the Education Investment Fund to expand health disciplines taught at CSU in Orange and Bathurst.

 

Ms Veronica Madigan, senior lecturer at the School of Biomedical Sciences in Bathurst said, “Paramedic education and practice is undergoing a process of rapid change.

 

“This has been driven by growing demand for health services that reflect the ageing national population, the increased incidence of chronic disease in the community, and the decline in traditional support structures that force people to rely more heavily on social and health services for care.

 

“It is particularly the case in rural and regional communities, where you have older populations, lower levels of access to primary health care services, and a higher incidence of chronic disease.”

 

Ms Madigan said these factors have underpinned rapid growth in demand for ambulance services over the last decade.

 

“In 2009/10 the NSW Ambulance responded to 938 835 incidents, a 35 per cent increase from 2001/2.  Around half of these were provided to populations aged over the age of 65 years,” she said.

 

“The NSW population is projected to grow by a further 33 per cent to 9.1 million people by 2036, with the population of people over 65 years projected to grow by 11 per cent over the same period.

 

“Regional populations are also expected to grow rapidly, with regional areas outside of Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong expected to increase by 19 per cent over the same period. Importantly, the proportion of people over 65 years of age will increase more rapidly than the state average.

 

“These changes will fuel further demand, requiring new models of service delivery and new levels of training. This will place paramedic services more than ever at front and centre of health care in Australia.

 

“Charles Sturt University is at the forefront of a national shift to provide new models of tertiary education and qualifications for paramedics.

 

“This is in step with the Ambulance Service of NSW which is moving to source its workforce from the tertiary sector, rather than from the vocational education and training (VET) sector. This reflects the evolving and complex nature of paramedic practice, and its partnership with the University is central to that transition.”

 

Ms Madigan says CSU is working to build a health precinct at Bathurst that involves inter-professional practice between nurses, doctors, social workers and paramedics so that it can foster a team approach to health care.

 

“This approach will improve the ability of graduate paramedics to transition to the workforce and to continue to work as an effective part of an interdisciplinary health team which saves lives,” she said.

 

“If successful, Charles Sturt University’s Education Investment Fund application will deliver the infrastructure to transform the way we teach paramedic and health students, and deliver graduates prepared for the growing demands of modern paramedic and health practice.