Matthew Warren-James
Doctorate
Doctorate Title: A Mixed Method Study Exploring First Year Paramedic Students’ Experiences of Stress Whilst Undertaking Their First Ambulance Placement.
Doctorate Description: Background
Ambulance organisations have been called upon to review policy and to implement procedures to support ambulance personnel within the workplace, including highlighting the challenges of mental illness in the profession (Jones et al., 2017, Paramedics Australasia, 2017). Undergraduate paramedic programs also have a responsibility to provide mental health education to prepare their graduates for their chosen career.
It is widely acknowledged that university students experience significantly higher levels of psychological distress than the general population (Stallman, 2008, Bewick et al., 2008), and first year students (Hillis et al., 2010, Wong et al., 2006, Price et al., 2006) who undertake practicum components in their program of study (Deasy et al., 2014) have been identified as being a particularly vulnerable population group. Currently there is a paucity of literature regarding first year paramedic students’ experience of stress on their first ambulance placement.
Aims
There are three aims for this study. The first aim is to identify the main sources of stress in the paramedic practice setting from the perspective of the first year paramedic students, both before and after their first ambulance placement. Secondly, it will measure the levels of stress, anxiety and depression in first year paramedic students, both before and after their first ambulance placement, to identify whether the levels change after their first ambulance placement in comparison to a control group. Finally, this research will explore first year student paramedics’ experiences of stress on their first ambulance placement.
Methods
One study consisting of two consecutive parts is required to best answer the research problem.
Part 1 will use quantitative methods to identify the levels and sources of stress, anxiety and depression experienced by first year paramedic students around the time of their first ambulance placement. Two cross-sectional studies, in the form of quantitative online surveys, will be administered immediately before and after first year paramedic students first ambulance placement. Surveys will contain the Depression Anxiety Scale (DASS-21) and demographic data questions, as well as ask participants to identify and rank stressful events related to their ambulance placement. A before-and-after design will be used to compare the difference in levels of stress, anxiety and depression in first year paramedic students before and after their first ambulance placement.
Part 2 will use semi-structured interviews to explore how first year paramedic students experience stress on their first ambulance placement. Narrative inquiry was chosen to explore paramedic students’ experiences of stress due to its ability to expand on and explore individual’s experiences. Inductive thematic analysis, as described by Braun and Clarke (2008), will be used to produce a rich thematic description of the entire data set.
Details:
Type: PhD
University: University of the Sunshine Coast
Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Bill Lord
Category: Staff Wellbeing
Funding: None
Start Date: 2016
End Date: 2020
Status: Complete
Thesis
Awaiting
Research Interests
Publications
Paramedic PhD is endorsed by:
