Australasian College Of Paramedic Practitioners

ACPP is a specialist College founded for Australasian paramedics with additional primary care skills. Just as Medicine and Nursing have specialist Colleges that represent clinicians with specialist skills, ACPP is the principle advocate for Paramedics with additional primary care skills. The College aims to engender national practice and educational standards for these advanced clinicians. ACPP will also create employment pathways for these paramedics to work in all areas of the health care system. Paramedics in ambulance services respond to emergencies. They provide healthcare in a local community and with a high degree of autonomy. Paramedics with additional primary care capabilities can practice in a much wider variety of settings. This includes GP surgeries, public and private hospitals, community health centres, aged care facilities, people’s homes, schools, the military and industrial settings. These specialist paramedics not only provide care in a variety of settings, they also provide care for a wide range of health conditions. They can comprehensively assess, treat, and where necessary, refer patients and perform a range of health-related activities including: • Health promotion, disease prevention and early identification • Lifestyle advice and modification • Acute health care • Chronic disease care. These paramedics are “generalists” and work alongside Doctors and Nurse Practitioners. They also work collaboratively and in team-based care, with other allied health professionals. Paramedic Practitioner is the top tier of paramedics with additional primary care capabilities. Other tiers include: • Extended Care Paramedics • Community Paramedics • Primary Care Paramedics Patients may encounter these specialist paramedics on a single episode of care, or on an ongoing basis. These paramedics aim provide follow up and ongoing care for the patients they encounter to enable continuity of care and a coordinated approach to health care.