Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference (ACPIC23)

ACPIC 2023 delivered a wide range of clinical and research sessions from experts and leaders in paramedicine. Hosted in Melbourne (September 2023) the program was designed to inspire, educate and broaden horizons.

Conference theme: Lead - Evolve - Impact

Best of the Best – From Hurdles to Horizons: Paving the way for progress in Community Paramedicine programs in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand

This presentation explores the dynamics of community paramedicine programs in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, examining both their facilitators and challenges. Based on insights from 37 participants through surveys and interviews, four overarching themes emerged: (1) clarifying paramedic roles, (2) manoeuvring funding and legislative complexities, (3) addressing fixed paramedic mindsets, and (4) capitalizing on health workforce shortages. The result of this study highlights the significance of interprofessional understanding of paramedic roles, health system challenges that hinders wider paramedic contribution to health care, the impact of fixed mindset roles for paramedics on the growth the profession and the current opportunities due to current health workforce shortages.

Biography: Alecka Miles

Alecka Miles is a Paramedic who works in General Practice (GP) in Perth, Western Australia (WA) and is the Course Coordinator of the postgraduate Community Paramedic and Paramedic Practitioner courses at Edith Cowan University. She started her Paramedic career in emergency ambulance in Victoria and has spent time working rurally and remotely in the Northern Territory and Kimberley’s region in WA. Alecka has a Master degree in Emergency Health and is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University where her research looks at ‘Decentring’ the ambulance in Paramedicine: An exploration and consensus of key stakeholder expectations, enablers, and impediments to paramedic role legitimisation in primary health care contexts in Australia and New Zealand. She is the chair of the Community Paramedicine Working Group at the Australasian College of Paramedicine, a long-suffering Melbourne Demons fan and proud ‘Mumma’ to Poppy (7 years) and Hamish (5 years), her greatest achievement so far.

Moderator: Dr Tegwyn McManamny, Intensive Care Paramedic and Lead Patient Review Specialist, Ambulance Victoria