Today’s correspondent has:

… two questions regarding paramedic continuing professional development (CPD). As you would be aware, paramedics are required to complete 30 hours of CPD per registration year which includes 8 hours of interactive development with other practitioners. 

My first question related to the term practitioners. The standard does not define the term. Is it ok to infer that as AHPRA is the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency that anyone who is registered by AHPRA (and in turn, appears on the register) is a practitioner for this purpose? Or can the term be used more broadly. For example, if I undertake a Provide CPR class with other first aiders, are they practitioners and therefore this training can be counted for CPD hours?

Secondly, is a workplace under any requirement to provide ongoing training for paramedics who work there and, if they are, to what extent?

Clearly providing training is of benefit to the workplace but is it something they are required to do?

The Paramedicine Board’s Registration standard: Continuing professional development (17 May 2018) says (emphasis added):

To meet this standard, you must:

1.             complete at least 30 hours of CPD each year that:

a.             seeks to improve patient outcomes and experiences

b.             draws on the best available evidence, including well-established and accepted knowledge that is supported by research where possible, to inform good practice and decision-making

c.             contributes directly to improving your competence (performance and behaviour) and keeping you up to date in your chosen scope and setting of practice

d.             builds on your existing knowledge, and

e.             includes a minimum of eight hours CPD in an interactive setting with other practitioners.

The law is the ‘Health Practitioner’ regulation law; the only reasonable inference is that ‘other practitioners’ means other health practitioners because they are the only people regulated by the Act. If it meant ‘anyone’ eg a legal practitioner, or a first aider, then it would in effect be meaningless.  Clearly first aiders are not ‘practitioners’ for the purposes of the Health Practitioner Regulation National law any more than are ‘music practitioners’ or ‘yoga practitioners’.  The only meaningful interpretation is that ‘practitioner’ for the purpose of the standard means ‘health practitioner’.

As for the obligation of employers to provide ongoing training or CPD see What it means to be a professional paramedic – part 2 (June 6, 2021).

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This blog is made possible with generous financial support from (in alphabetical order) the Australasian College of Paramedicine, the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW), the Australian Paramedics Association (Qld), Natural Hazards Research Australia, NSW Rural Fire Service Association and the NSW SES Volunteers Association. I am responsible for the content in this post including any errors or omissions. Any opinions expressed are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or understanding of the donors.