Assessing emergency care providers’ eligibility for progression to higher qualifications

Abstract

ckground. Emergency care (EC) education in South Africa (SA) has traditionally focused on vocational short-course training, leaving EC providers lacking formal EC qualifications. Legislative changes have introduced a three-tiered qualification system aligning with international and national standards. This system includes a 1-year higher certificate, a 2-year diploma, and a 4-year professional degree in emergency medical care (EMC). Objectives. To evaluate whether current EC providers working in Limpopo Province, SA, meet the educational requirements to transition to the new National Qualification Framework (NQF)-aligned EMC qualifications. Methods. This study employed a retrospective, quantitative, descriptive design, conducted as a desktop exercise involving EC providers working for the Limpopo state-owned Emergency Medical Service (EMS) in the Capricorn District. Using a total population sampling approach, relevant documents from the archive storeroom were included for all qualified EC providers in the Capricorn District. Results. Of the 319 participants, 99.4% (n=317) completed matric, while 0.6% did not. The majority (56.5%, n=180) of participants were basic ambulance assistants, mostly male (61.1%) and aged 40 - 49 years (56.4%). For the higher certificate programme, 97.2% (n=308) did not meet the mathematics requirement, either because it was not one of their subjects or they did not achieve the required symbol. Similarly, 88.3% (n=280) did not meet the biology requirement, 98.1% (n=311) did not meet the physical science requirement, while 55% (n=174) met the English requirement. For the diploma programme, 98.4% (n=312) did not meet the mathematics requirement, 98.7% (n=313) did not meet the biology requirement, 99.7% (n=316) did not meet the physical science requirement, and 86.8% (n=275) did not meet the English requirement. For the Bachelor’s degree programme, 99.4% (n=315) did not meet the mathematics requirement, 98.7% (n=313) did not meet the biology requirement, 100% (n=317) did not meet the physical science requirement, and 87.1% (n=276) did not meet the English requirement. Only three participants met the criteria for the higher certificate programme. None met the criteria for the diploma or Bachelor’s degree programme. Conclusion. Most EC providers do not meet the prerequisite subject and symbol requirements for entry into EMC programmes. None of the participants qualified for the diploma or Bachelor’s degree programmes, and only three met the criteria for the higher certificate. This highlights educational barriers that hinder career progression for EC providers. Bridging these gaps through matric upgrade programmes, recognition of prior learning and bridging programmes is crucial to expanding access to higher education.