Why the Professionalisation of Paramedic Practice Isn't Necessarily a Good Thing

Many healthcare policies in the UK are formulated by the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS does not constrain paramedics to offer specific treatments or certain pathways of care, but allows them to use their clinical judgment and experience or utilise the discretion of a doctor. In an attempt to create an effective approach in the delivery of healthcare to residents of the UK, it is important to take care of health professionals and their medical field profession. However, supporting the professionalisation of paramedic practice should not be regarded as a wholly good thing. This is because there are some other pressing policy issues that concern other stakeholders at the hospital level.

Pursuing professionalisation of paramedic practice arguably goes against the general ethics of UK society since it is regarded as sign of selfishness on the side of health professionals (Campbell, 2013). Other issues within the health sector which are in need of more attention include: the administration and their role in planning, decision making, staff motivation, healthcare development, patient monitoring, providing a home-like experience for patients, continuous change in patient’s care, and overcoming obstacles towards change. These issues should be the ones occupying the minds of paramedics throughout the UK since their welfare is taken care of by councils such as the Health & Care Professions Council and Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council among others. There are few laws that seek to regulate health profession, leaving almost all issues to self-regulation by respective health professional councils as discussed later in this paper.

The paramedical field, as a self-regulated field, does not need additional professionalisation since...

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