Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference (ACPIC 2022)

ACPIC 2022 delivered a wide range of clinical and research sessions from experts and leaders in paramedicine. Hosted in Brisbane (September 2022) the program was designed to inspire, educate and broaden horizons.

Conference theme: Embracing Strengths | Shaping Futures

Spotlight on Community Paramedics – past, present, and future

Community paramedicine (CP) seems to be one of the hot topics in Australasia at the moment, this is your opportunity to learn about community paramedics from people working and researching these roles. Representatives working as community paramedics from metropolitan and rural areas in Australia and New Zealand will chat about their current roles and lessons learned. The recently developed global definition of a Community Paramedic will also be announced and stakeholder perspectives on pioneering CP programs across North America will be presented. The panel discussion will provide an opportunity for questions and answers and audience engagement.

Biographies

Brendan Shannon - Brendan is a senior lecturer within the department of paramedicine and a registered Paramedic. Brendan is enrolled as a PhD candidate with his thesis investigating alternative care pathways by evaluating the impact of a hospital based community care program and the evaluation of the introduction of community paramedicine programs across the globe. Brendan has a keen research interest in alternative care pathways, non-transport, referral services, palliative care and community paramedicine.

Jack Faxon - Jack Faxon Jr is an Advanced Health Care Practitioner working at city medical Ltd an urgent care centre in Hawkes bay New Zealand, he also works for St John Ambulance as a Critical Care Paramedic in the clinical development team. He has been working in prehospital medicine for 16 years and has experience in all areas of this from primary care to aeronautical medicine. At present, he enjoys a primary care focus and what he can offer to his patients, in terms of building relationships, and providing treatments and follow-ups.
He studied for his undergraduate degree at Whitireia polytechnic and his postgraduate studies have been through Auckland university of technology.

Jannice Yusi - Jannice is currently an Extended Care Paramedic and Station Officer with NSW Ambulance based in Redfern, Sydney, where she has been practicing for the past nine years. More recently, she has been a clinician in the Virtual Clinical Care Centre and an Extended Care Paramedic Educator. She has Bachelor Degrees in Biomedical Science and Paramedicine, graduating from Monash University in 2012. She has a passion for education and is excited about the expansion of community paramedicine, and hopes for its integration into the wider health care system to enable patients more healthcare autonomy and improved outcomes with the physical and mental benefits of being treated safely within the community.

Alecka Miles - Alecka is a Paramedic at a GP clinic and is the Course Coordinator of the postgraduate Community Paramedicine courses at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Western Australia. She is a long-suffering Melbourne Demons fan and proud ‘Mumma’ to Poppy (6 years) and Hamish (4 years), a career highlight and her greatest achievement so far. Despite expressing her concerns about research being a ‘waste of time’ as student ambulance paramedic in Melbourne , she has since changed her tune and developed research interests community paramedicine and paramedic education. She has a Master degree in Emergency Health and is currently undertaking her PhD and looks forward to dressing like a professor from Harry Potter when she graduates.

Dr Angela Martin - Angela Martin has worked as a registered paramedic and manager for 20 years in state and private sectors. She is a published author and long-standing advocate for Community Paramedicine. Her PhD thesis was an international exploratory study on perspectives of Community Paramedicine through multiple stakeholder lenses. Angela is an active committee member on the ACP Community Paramedicine working group, and lead investigator of an ACP study exploring the landscape of Community Paramedicine across Australasia. Angela is passionate about bridging health service delivery gaps in rural and remote communities, and is employed as a remote paramedic and project consultant with SDS, leading the development of a contemporary pre-hospital education package for the WACHS Kimberly Ambulance Service. Angela's achievements include being awarded the PA SAAS Rod Kershaw Scholarship (2013), SA Ambulance Service Clinical Excellence Commendation in Professional Development (2016), and the prestigious SA Emergency Services medal (2018), for exceptional leadership and contribution to regional communities through her advocacy, research and involvement in the development of a Community Paramedicine program in rural SA. Angela's qualifications include: PhD, BN, GDipN (Emerg), Dip.ParaSci (Amb), Dip.Mgt., Cert. IV TAE.

Panel Moderator: John Adie, The Australian Convenor, RNZCUC, as an Adjunct Associate Professor, University of the Sunshine Coast and Medical Director for a General Practice group in Southeast Queensland

Conference MC: Dr Ben Meadley (Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Monash and Operational Improvement Lead (MICA) & senior Intensive Care Flight Paramedic (MICA), Ambulance Victoria)