How life-like are your University's clinical scenarios? Do you feel adequately prepared for clinical placements?

Paramedics must deal with life and death and make routine clinical decisions on a daily basis, administer life-saving medications and perform other invasive clinical interventions.

Unfortunately there are strong indications of a growing imbalance or mismatch between the industry capacity or willingness to provide clinical placements and the increasing number of student paramedics currently studying in universities throughout Australia. Paramedics as a group consist of the health professionals who more than most need the highest feasible introduction to practical clinical skills. Maintaining proficient care and utilising ALS skills on a rapidly deteriorating patient, in a distracting emergency environment can be overwhelming for new graduates.

Simulated Learning Environment’s can be used to supplement student learning outcomes and clinical placement in addition to reducing the burden on the healthcare system. They provide a safe clinical learning environment whereby students can be taught and assessed on their ALS skills and techniques under close supervision from skilled instructors.

This is part of a submission on the allocation of funds dedicated to simulation infrastructure, for the full document see below.

Download the full Submission here.