The role of the paramedic in health promotion

Abstract

‘The role of the paramedic in health education’, is a subject area identified in the College of Paramedics Paramedic Curriculum Guidance and Competence Framework (College of Paramedics, 2007). There is no specific guidance on the content or context of this particular subject; therefore student paramedics and paramedic lecturers have interpreted this and linked it to health topics seen as relevant to young people. It is known that people can die for want of first-aid and that many people do not know how to perform first-aid. Two innovative 1-hour workshops have been designed for delivery to secondary school children in which the topic of emergency first-aid is linked with knife crime and drug and alcohol abuse. This article describes the rationale and design of the programme and reports on its initial feedback. It is a programme that shows great promise, but will require further evaluation before it can be rolled-out further.