The Future of Paramedicine

Paramedicine aims to advance and transform the discipline by inspiring robust discussion, encouraging innovative thinking, informing leadership, and promoting research translation.

Toward that aim, Paramedicine is delighted to announce a call for papers for an upcoming special collection, the theme for which is ‘The Future of Paramedicine’.

The special issue aspires to stimulate those working in or adjacent to paramedicine to engage in ‘horizons thinking’:

• by challenging existing notions of who we are and what we do
• exploring the outer reaches of paramedicine’s professional boundaries, and
• proposing how it might or should be situated within a future broader health system.

Paramedicine as a profession sits on the cusp of accelerated growth and development, and acceptance into and within health systems with which it articulates. For this next era to be successful in further defining and evolving the profession, it’s essential to challenge existing professional constructs and propose new paradigms, debate paramedicine’s location and orientation within, and articulation with, broader healthcare systems, and establish professional boundaries. Paramedicine, like many health professions, will need to contend with numerous issues that manifest opportunities and challenges. Transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-based learning, ‘big data’ usage and application, data-driven decision-making, and systems-level reinvention offer potential benefits and disbenefits. The challenge of embracing and implementing sustainability in the context of the environment, people in the profession, and the systems and infrastructure upon which the profession is situated needs solutions grounded in innovation and collaboration. The ongoing evolution of our professional identity, in how we perceive ourselves and are perceived by others, continues to move slowly forward, though with uncertainty regarding who is driving it (us, or the health system around us?). Finally, there is an urgent need for the profession to attend to societal perspectives on issues such as equity, representation, and reconciliation.

• Submissions may be primary research of quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods design, or commentaries and scholarly perspectives. Perspectives or commentaries that propose novel concepts, stimulate new ways of thinking, or challenge existing professional paradigms are particularly encouraged.
• Paramedicine encourages submissions from all countries and welcomes regionally focused papers as well as those applicable to the professional internationally. Regionally focused submissions should seek to connect to international literature for contrast and comparison.
• Submissions must adhere to Paramedicine’s submission guidelines. Submissions are managed via the existing submission process and should be identified as ‘special issue’ during the online submission process. Submissions must constitute original work that has not been published in a journal or accepted for publication elsewhere. All submission will be subjected to rigorous peer review in adherence to Paramedicine’s peer review and editorial policy.
• Enquiries relating to the special edition, including suitability of proposed work, should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief via editor.paramedicine@paramedics.org
• Accepted submissions will be published early online, then appear in a designated special issue in March 2025.

Read more here.

Submissions close on 31 October 2024.