Range of Skills to be Increased for Australian Paramedics

RURAL paramedics will be trained for medical situations nurses usually handle in an attempt to combat a state shortage of health professionals.

Under the training program, rural Queenslanders will no longer have to travel hundreds of kilometres for a tetanus shot or to get stitches.

Sixty Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics are expected to finish the 12-month James Cook University program in December.

Jon Ferguson, who is the QAS manager of clinical support for the rural and remote paramedic program, said the shortage of doctors and nurses in rural areas often left ''gaps in delivery of service''.

''There's a shortage of doctors and nurses so let's make better use of the people we have already,'' he said.

''These guys can step into the gap (for) the time being.

''If a patent shows up at 3am and there is no doctor available, the paramedic can step up and suture a wound or give an antibiotic and do a reassessment in a few days.''

Mr Ferguson said it was not uncommon for patients in rural areas to be transported by a town's only ambulance for 100km or more to the nearest doctor or hospital just for a tetanus shot.

''We are looking at expanding paramedics' scope of practice in rural and isolated communities to make them a more useful resource to the rural health workforce and improve the health and wellbeing (for those living) in the bush,'' he said.

The Isolated Practice Area Paramedics will be trained to administer special antibiotics and do procedures such as sutures.

''They will be given extra clinical skills to give in-depth health assessment, will be able to make a provisional diagnosis and decide on a treatment course based on some clinical guidelines from the primary clinical care manual and instructions from a doctor,'' he said.

Queensland Health's Workforce Directorate and the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health designed the degree.

Workforce development team leader Sue Crocker said the training being done by registered nurses and indigenous health workers in rural and remote areas had been identified by the Queensland Ambulance Service as a model that could be adapted for its staff.

''The paramedics' primary role will always be emergency response but they will also work alongside doctors, nurses, indigenous health workers and allied health professionals in rural and remote areas to enhance healthcare delivery,'' Ms Crocker said.

The paramedics would learn about drugs they would administer and supply, clinical skills and physical assessment of adults and children.

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