Advanced paramedic

A HSE emergency response car at Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Advanced Paramedic (AP) is the highest clinical level (level 6) in pre-hospital care in Ireland based on the standards set down by PHECC, the Irish regulatory body for pre-hospital care and ambulance services. Advanced Paramedics are employed within the statutory ambulance services; the HSE National Ambulance Service and Dublin Fire Brigade working both on ambulances and emergency response cars.

Education and certification

In order to be eligible for acceptance to the Advanced Paramedic upskilling programme, a candidate must be a practicing Paramedic (PHECC level 5) employed within an ambulance service for a minimum of three years post-qualification. The course is run in conjunction with the School of Medicine, University College Dublin. Successful candidates receive the National Qualification in Emergency Medical Technology - Advanced (NQEMTA) from PHECC and the Graduate Diploma in Emergency Medical Technology (GradDip.EMT) from UCD. Upon receiving the qualification, Advanced Paramedics must then register with PHECC as level 6 practitioners in order to practice their skills.

Scope of practice

The Advanced Paramedic programme was introduced in 2004 to provide pre-hospital advanced life support as part of the ambulance service for the general public, thus increasing survival rates among critically ill/injured patients. The programme is based on the various international EMT-P programmes. The following is a list of just some of the skills in the AP scope of practice:

• Endotracheal intubation
• Thrombolysis
• Administration of a large range of medications
• Intravenous cannulation and intraosseous infusion
• 12-lead ECG interpretation
• Needle cricothyrotomy
• Manual defibrillation

See also

• Emergency medical technician
• Emergency physician

External links

• Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council
• National Ambulance Service College

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