Our national healthcare depends heavily upon the services of first-responders who ensure that patients receive the necessary medical services before bringing them to clinics/hospitals. Their responsibilities in the healthcare industry include responding to 911 calls, driving ambulances, dressing people’s wounds, and administering medications. Sadly, paramedics have been complaining about insufficient critical care education since 2013, Reuters has reported.

Studies show that over 10% of paramedics assigned to use neonatal incubators and handle blood products weren’t adequately trained for these tasks. This issue led to minimized productivity among EMTs that can be resolved by continuous education only.

Six advantages of ongoing training for EMS professionals

Our skills fade over time, and our abilities become redundant. But ongoing training prevents our knowledge from getting obsolete. It refreshes our know-how, rejuvenates our capabilities, and enables us to remain proficient. That’s why experts suggest continued education for EMS professionals. There are many ways to implement these educational requirements for EMTs. They can attend lectures, visit conferences, and pursue self-study programs. Attending grand rounds in nearby clinics/hospitals will also bolster an EMS professional’s learning. But we recommend obtaining continued training certificates to hone your skills as a paramedic. Now, you can acquire these qualifications digitally by leveraging eLearning facilities.

So, ensure that you’ve enrolled in a nationally recognized program that offers learning avenues relevant to your expertise. Pursue EMT continuing education to attend NCCP courses and obtain ECC certifications online without any hassle. These courses will help you save people’s lives and reduce mortality rates effectively. It’ll help you overcome those factors that have compelled several EMS professionals to quit – from health issues to intolerable conditions. Statistics show that the national average duration of a paramedic’s career lies between 3-5 years. So, employers should focus on continued education to reduce turnover and boost employee retention rates.

Therefore, here are some benefits of ongoing training for your EMS team:

1. Improved patient outcomes

Ongoing training programs make EMS professionals more competent, thereby letting them save more lives. According to WHO, trained pandemics can lower trauma mortality rates by 9%, saving 370 lives since training makes them familiar with the latest technological advancements. So, paramedics abandon old-fashioned methods to adopt newer strategies. Thus, we expect first-responders to become better life-savers by pursuing continuous education programs.

2. Increasing workers’ engagement

A Gallup survey reveals the general conditions of American workplaces, including the EMS industry. It shows that not even one-third of your employees are “actively engaged” at work, while 20% of them are “actively disengaged.” It’s common knowledge that engaged/motivated employees are more productive at work. So, continued education can now ascertain that EMS professionals remain active and functional.

3. Career growth opportunities

BLS states that paramedics make over $36,000 annually on average, with this field expected to grow by 11% before 2030. Though some EMS professionals also make 60-70 thousand USD. Your pay depends upon your experience and qualifications. So, continued education allows you to increase your academic expertise and bolster your medical know-how to apply for better positions. Ultimately, you get several career growth and job rotation opportunities by pursuing continuous education programs.

4. Reducing negligence

Like doctors/nurses, paramedics are also vulnerable to medical mistakes that often cause a patient’s death wrongfully. For their negligence, a patient’s relatives can sue paramedics as well. Studies have revealed that one-third of these mistakes are preventable with proper training. In 2006, a child died when paramedics didn’t prevent the infant from succumbing to febrile seizures. Therefore, this negligence costs the EMS industry over $10 million. Not responding in time, forgetting their equipment, and not using their machines properly are some errors paramedics often make. These issues can be averted if paramedics are trained for their job and receive the proper education continuously.

5. Regulating burnout cases

Healthcare practitioners are seldom immune from stress, anxiety, or burnout. Several factors today contribute to why EMS professionals suffer from depression, e.g., facing traumatic events repeatedly. Also, 80-100 percent of paramedics witness such events and experience workplace violence. Hence, it’s understandable why 16-56 percent of paramedics are victims of burnout. So, how can we resolve mental issues among them? An obvious solution involves continued education for EMS professionals to master various skills like emotional intelligence. This training will educate your paramedic professionals about regulating burnout while promoting other mental health exercises.

6. Sharpen your skills

Working as a paramedic isn’t just about learning about medical procedures. It also involves sharpening your “soft skills” and becoming a better communicator. These transferrable capabilities make you a better employee in every occupation. While you’re required to keep your certificates current, your abilities should be fresh constantly as well. So, continuous education ensures that your information/knowledge remains updated and your soft skills intact. That’s why you excel at your work.

Conclusion

A paramedic’s responsibility involves stressful and demanding tasks that cause burnout among EMTs. It may seem time-consuming for paramedics to pursue continued training prospects. Still, education has long-term benefits for our country’s first-responders. It reduces the risk of malpractice and wrongful deaths, thereby making EMTs more effective and productive. While improving networking opportunities for EMS professionals, continued education also contributes to their career growth. Moreover, paramedics can focus on the ever-changing industry trends and keep themselves updated about the latest practices introduced in EMS. That’s how they can become a better workforce and save more lives in the country.