The Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) or the Basic Life Support (BLS) paramedic plays a critical role in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and for this reason has to ensure that they are always updated and aware of latest teachings. The Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) is required to complete 30 CPD points (5 of points needs to be ethical CPD points) over 24 months in order to stay registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Earning the required CPD points can become frustrating when you have to attend 2-hour sessions every month and only earn 2 CPD points for such sessions. These sessions also become costly, where they aren’t provided for free. Absolute Health Services have a solution to obtain your required Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) CPD points!
Durban University of Technology (DUT) has accredited Absolute Health Services to offer the Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) Refresher CPD program as a correspondence course! This HPCSA has also approved this program for Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) CPD purposes. When you successfully complete the Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) CPD program you will be awarded a total of 21 CPD points (of which 4 points are ethical CPD points)! Should you choose to complete either your BLS for Healthcare Providers or CPR for Professionals courses with Absolute Health Services or another accredited service provider, you will be awarded another 15 CPD points bringing your total to 36 CPD points! Being qualified paramedics ourselves we understand the frustration of trying to get enough time off work to complete CPD programs and we thus developed the Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) Refresher program. The Durban University of Technology has approved this course as a 1-day semi-correspondence program which means much less time in the classroom!
Students will receive the Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) Refresher manual and workbook on registration and can complete the workbook at their own time before coming to attend the examination process which includes a written paper, 8 OSCEs and a patient simulation. The workbook does count for 20% of the total percentage and has all the required information in it to ensure that you are able to pass your formal evaluation. The Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) Refresher course is also available as a 3-day full contact program should companies want to send groups of 6 or more candidates. Our Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) Refresher course includes the following topics:
- Introduction and basic principles of BLS – Studies have shown that quick Basic Life Support interventions have the greatest effect on saving lives. This topic is revised in this chapter;
- Ethics – Medical ethics is extremely important not only because medical professionals need to be fair and just but because more and more people are getting sued for unprofessional conduct
- Triage – Mas casualty incidents can be overwhelming and it is important that paramedics are aware of how to effectively triage patients based on their injuries and treat the patients accordingly;
- Terminology, positioning and anatomy – Basic anatomy and physiology is reviewed together with medically correct terminology;
- Emergency scene and patient assessment – Your safety comes first however you are also responsible for the safety of bystanders and the patient. Effective scene safety is crucial to ensure that no one sustains further injuries while in your care;
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and choking – The majority of cardiac arrest patients encountered prehospitally have unfortunately been in arrest for too long by the time paramedics arrive on scene. However, there are many success stories and being able to administer effective CPR quickly after cardiac arrest could be the difference between life and death:
- Bleeding and wounds – Quick and effective bleeding control is an important skill of the Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) and must be applied correctly;
- Burns – The types of burns, treatments and associated injuries are discussed;
- Fractures and sprains – Fractures range from simple greenstick fractures to complicated compound fractures. There are many factors which needs to be remembered when dealing with fractures as well as sprains and strains;
- Head injuries, spinal injuries and shock – Ranging from concussions to coning, head injuries can be life-threatening injuries and these are often overlooked or brushed off as just a headache until it is too late! Shock is also an important concept which must be understood and early and effective treatment is critical to the patient’s outcome;
- Medical emergencies – In this chapter all medical conditions that will be soon on a regular basis will be discussed together with their signs and symptoms and correct treatment;
- Poisoning, bites and stings – There are many dangerous animals in South Africa which can cause medical symptoms, some can be fatal within minutes,
- Chest injuries – Traumatic thoracic injuries together with signs and symptoms and treatment are discussed;
- Abdominal injuries – Abdominal injuries like ruptured spleens, abdominal aortic aneurysms and internal bleeding must be quickly identified and patients needs to be transported to a hospital as quickly as possible;
- Environmental emergencies and injuries – Injuries related too high and low temperatures are discussed;
- Drowning – Drowning and water-related injuries are discussed;
- Childbirth – Normal childbirth is covered in detail, this is another important skill of the Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA), especially if working in rural areas;
- Patient simulation – The patient simulation will take place as a group exercise as BAAs have been found competent when they completed their BAA course and we would like to assess the candidate’s skills when working in a group as they do in their working environment;
- OSCES – All Basic Ambulance Assistant OSCEs are discussed and 8 will be assessed in the examination;
- BAA Protocols – BAA protocols are discussed as to how, what and why.
Please note
If your HPCSA Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) registration has lapsed and you are wanting to be restored onto the register our Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) Refresher course is valid for this purpose. Form 341 of the HPCSA states that if your registration has lapsed for less than 2 years you can complete our Refresher program with us or another provider approved for this purpose, if it has lapsed for more than 2 years then you will need to complete a full set of exams at a University approved for this purpose.
Our 3-day Basic Ambulance Assistant Refresher CPD course option includes a summary of the new Paramedic CPG updates, but we do not offer the CPG updates as the medicine has not been approved by the SA Medicines Control Association as yet.
