Becoming a better paramedic through the special needs school placement program

Paramedics provide care in medical emergencies to patients with varying ages and from a range of settings, cultures, backgrounds and experiences. As such, the paramedic needs a very diverse skill set which is difficult to obtain at university. For this reason, undergraduate paramedic students often engage in clinical placements to apply their knowledge to real world experiences. Most of these placements, however, are in hospitals or ambulance settings, but part of the diverse community that paramedics treat are children with special needs, including children with disabilities. This study measured the attitudes of paramedic students to people with disabilities and explored the effectiveness of paramedic student clinical placements in special needs schools. 109 paramedic students enrolled in their first year of the Bachelor of Paramedicine at Monash University undertook placements in special needs schools across Victoria, Australia. These students completed the Interactions with Disabled Persons Scale. Of these students, 5 participated in two focus groups to gain a deeper understanding of their placement experience. The results showed that paramedic students enjoyed their placements and gained a more positive attitude towards special needs students, but also felt challenged and overwhelmed. Also found were four main characteristics that students believed paramedics needed to be effective; empathy, being genuine, the ability to listen to someone even though they are not speaking to you verbally, and the ability to gain the trust of someone quickly where gaining trust is difficult. This study was the first time an entire cohort of paramedic students have undertaken placements at special needs schools. The findings provide a baseline and incentive for further exploration of the benefits of the placement of paramedic students (and student from a variety of healthcare professions) in special needs schools, as well as other marginalised communities.