Dr. Joe Cuthbertson1
1St John WA, Belmont, Australia
Biography:
Biography to come.
Abstract:
Background: In the wake of operational learnings from the COVID-19 response in which mixed paramedic crews were bolstered by Rapid Ambulance Support Officers (RASOs), St John WA (SJWA) entered a partnership agreement with Edith Cowan University (ECU) to build up a rapid response Surge Workforce as of July 2023. This Surge Workforce can be mobilised in the event of a mass casualty event or to supplement Metropolitan and/or Country frontline operations impacted by resource constraints.
Method: SJWA’s engagement of second- and third-year Bachelor of Science (Paramedical Science) students as part of a Surge Workforce sits outside SJWA’s Clinical Placement Agreement with ECU, however, students will have hours clocked and experience signed off as part of normal placement requirements. Students who are nominated will be engaged as Emergency Medical Assistants (EMAs) under a standard SJWA Volunteer Agreement overseen by the Volunteer Member Services Team.
Results: In July, 52 ECU students signed up and received mass casualty and disaster principles training, with all expenses covered by SJWA. They have been engaged in regular Surge Workforce activations across different WA Health regions since October, with 28 shifts covered in November.
Conclusion: By harnessing the skills and dedication of ECU Paramedicine students, the Surge Workforce program ensures a resilient emergency response system capable of effectively managing high-demand scenarios such as bushfires, cyclones and floods. It also provides a safe and robust means of exposing paramedicine students to the ambulance environment while supervised by highly trained clinicians.