Beyond the Ambulance: Integrating Nursing Science-Infused Post-Acute Recovery Processes into Paramedic Education

Following a legal revision in Japan—specifically, the partial amendment to the Emergency Life-Saving Technicians Act under the 2021 legislation to Secure a System for Providing High-Quality and Appropriate Medical Care, paramedics are now permitted to continue emergency life-saving care for severely ill or injured patients even after hospital arrival, such as within emergency departments, under the direction of a physician. In response to this historic transition, paramedics are expected to expand beyond their traditional prehospital care framework and serve as integral members providing seamless medical care within hospitals. Consequently, it has become essential for them to acquire “daily life support skills” based on a nursing perspective. This ensures patient safety and comfort not only during rapid interventions at emergency scenes but also during standby in emergency departments, transfers for examinations and treatments, and handovers to hospital wards. This study aimed to verify the educational effects of the newly established courses, “Theory of Emergency Health and Daily Life Support Skills” and “Practice of Emergency Health and Daily Life Support Skills”, introduced in the 2023 academic year at the Department of Emergency Medical Sciences, Suzuka University of Medical Science, to obtain foundational data for constructing a standard educational model anticipating future intra-hospital activities. The subjects were 42 second-year students in the department who took the courses in the 2023 academic year. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted in December 2023, following the completion of all lectures and practical exercises. To eliminate any influence on students’ academic grading, the survey was administered after final grades were determined, ensuring anonymity and voluntary participation through a collection box system. Using a 5-point Likert scale, the survey assessed the degree of knowledge/understanding and skill acquisition across 12 specific technical items, including bed making, handling of sterile materials, gown techniques, repositioning, transfer and mobility assistance, simulated elderly experience, handling of crutches and T-canes, and emergency medical record-keeping. Analysis of 21 valid responses confirmed a high educational effect, with mean scores exceeding 4.0 for all overall awareness items. Notably, “understanding the necessity of communication with patients” scored highest (mean 4.67), indicating that grasping support skills through