Urban Paramedics’ Perspectives on Workplace Learning

Background: In the most desperate and urgent situations, the public relies on the skills and expertise of paramedicine professionals. Due to the high-stress nature of responding to medical emergencies, paramedicine has a psychological cost, particularly when educational programs have a short duration and leave candidates feeling inadequately trained (Hazzard, 2016). Purpose: We determined that further research was required to focus on the educational pipeline and to ensure that paramedicine candidates are prepared for the contextual challenges of the workplace. We highlight gaps in the education process followed in preparing paramedics for service. The overall objective of this research was to develop an understanding of how candidates learn to become paramedics, draw meaning from the work, and sustain performance in an occupation characterized by high stress and/or risk. Methods: We conducted semi-structured paramedic interviews (n=18) with to develop an appreciation of the key aspects of learning. Braun and Clarke’s (2006; 2009) thematic analysis provided the framework to deconstruct the interview transcripts, code and develop themes, and put forth thick and rich descriptions of the learning situations described, to better understand how professional practice was developed. Our study is informed by theories of workplace learning, an umbrella term that involves understanding how people learn to solve workplace problems. Results: We found three types of learning that paramedicine candidates apply both before and during the performance of their duties. We found that paramedics learned through a variety of situations with varying levels of outside direction, self-initiation, and reflection. We end by offering recommendations for improvements to scholars, professional paramedicine programs, and practitioners. Conclusion: While current paramedicine training programs are effective at teaching the necessary medical skills to paramedic candidates, we found that paramedicine professionals engage in significant experiential learning to supplement their required training in order to sustain effective job performance.