Continuing Professional Development: Reflecting on our own professional values and behaviours as paramedics

After completing this module, the paramedic will be able to:

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Paramedics often work in demanding and challenging environments. A large proportion of paramedic development revolves around the cognition of anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, patient assessment and clinical care. However, there is little evidence correlating paramedics' development as learners, to changes in their traditional working assumptions and behaviour. The seminal work of Lave and Wenger (1991) illustrates how people become accustomed to traditional working patterns in the practice setting—which the authors refer to as ‘communities of practice’. Referrals to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (2016) concerning Fitness to Practise (FTP) continue to rise year-on-year. Although a number of these referrals are directly related to poor standards of clinical care, many are a result of behavioural concerns and differing professional values to those held by patients (Burford et al 2014; van der Gaag et al, 2017). Corman (2017) found that crews in Calgary, Canada would assume a cynical view of their patients, taking liberties to decide who was culpable, and who was deserving of an ambulance. He found that paramedics became oriented in making assumptions about their patients, dependent on the call location and previous experience. A 7-year ethnography by Metz (1981) likened this behaviour to the realities of the job. He found that tension prevailed following the perceived mundane nature of the calls (Metz, 1981; Corman, 2017). McCann et al (2012) accords paramedics as: ‘Still Blue-Collar after all these years?’ and believes they are restricted in their autonomy by target-driven control over their working lives. McCann et al suggests that paramedics are ‘tethered’ from the time they sign on until they leave duty; they are always contactable for a call or enquiry from the ambulance control centre (McCann et al, 2017).