Paramedics have a unique role that intersects healthcare, public health, social care and public safety. The rapidly evolving face of healthcare affords increasing opportunities for paramedics to break down barriers, help to remove inefficiencies and be a key contributor to future models of health and care.
The delivery of healthcare continues to shift in line with the vision outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan (2019). Care will be facilitated more and more in the community (‘left shift’) and historic barriers between healthcare teams will continue to be broken down enabling dynamic multi-disciplinary team functioning to deliver the best possible care to service users. As an Allied Healthcare Professional with the ability to work across pre-hospital, primary and secondary care the paramedic is perfectly placed to be a key contributor in delivering the vision of the plan.
The College of Paramedics Interactive Career Framework showcases the continuously evolving variety of roles that paramedics are undertaking in clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research. Contributors from a wide range of backgrounds share their experiences and professional development. If you are looking for inspiration you will find it here!
The Interactive Career Framework is structured around the
College’s Post Registration Career Framework. The framework offers guidance for paramedics seeking to further their careers and for education providers offering CPD and qualification routes. The College of Paramedics continues to work to ensure that development routes in the key areas - clinical, educational, leadership and managerial, and research - are available and accessible for paramedics to continue to push the boundaries of practice in order to improve patient care and outcomes.
The Interactive Career Framework acts as a guide to highlight the education, knowledge, and expertise available to paramedics as they develop their skills along their career pathway. Initially published in 2015 and revised in 2017, it has now been updated to reflect on-going work undertaken by members of the College of Paramedics, and includes in excess of 50 individual case studies to help illustrate these pathways. It is a key milestone in leading the development of the paramedic profession, which Health Education England and the College of Paramedics are committed to furthering. We believe it provides a great illustration and guidance for paramedics seeking to develop their skills, and we would like to thank all those involved for their hard work, time and contributions in getting us to this point. We welcome further contributions and if you would like to be considered for a future edition, please contact us via
membership@collegeofparamedics.co.uk
Kirsty Lowery-Richardson MCPara, Deputy Chair, Education Advisory Group.
Gary Strong MCPara, National CPD Lead.