The first group of paramedics graduated from the Nelson Mandela Univerity in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.
To grow the number of professional paramedics in this country, Nelson Mandela University has been offering its Bachelor in Emergency Medical Care programme since 2014 – and on 24 April, it celebrated its very first 15 graduates.
The university is one of just four tertiary institutions offering the qualification in South Africa.
Nico Louw, who heads up the programme at NMU said the need for paramedics is massive with one paramedic for every 22 000 of the population.
Louw pointed out that paramedics were different from ambulance staff, who only need to complete a four-week course in Basic Life Support to qualify for an entry-level job.
He said there were 100 000 people with the basic qualification and only 16 000 had the intermediate qualification.
"There is an over-supply of staff with the basic qualification and not enough of those with a higher qualification … This is one of the concerns of our profession," he said.
Louw said while a paramedic's skills were essential, they were not easy - and the university tried to prepare the students for any situation through a series of endurance events during their studies.
"Our working environment is unique. It's outside, in the sticks, in the gutter, in the valley, on the beach, in the surf, in hotels, in flats, in shacks - that's where we go to treat patients. Our students have to step outside of their comfort zones, physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically. You often get right up into a patient's personal space, so much so that the smell of your breath matters and your sweat could drop onto a patient," he added.
Louw said 14 of the 15 graduates have chosen to work in the Eastern Cape.
