Emergency Care Practitioner

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An Emergency Care Practitioner or ECP may come from either a Paramedical, Nursing or Allied Health Professional background and has developed additional academic qualifications, usually at university, with enhanced skills in medical assessment and extra clinical skills over and above those of a 'standard' paramedic/qualified nurse or other ambulance crew such as technicians. It has been recommended by the British Paramedic Association that ECPs be trained to PgDip or MSc Level.

Additional skills which they may be able to perform include:

Administration of certain medications under patient group directives (PGD's)such as antibiotics
Suturing, steri-stripping and glueing of wounds
Minor surgical procedures in the field (removal of skin flaps)
Catheterisation
System based assessment & otoscopy/opthalmoscopy/urinalysis
Neurological assessment - e.g. Tendon reflexes, CNII-XII, MMSE

The Emergency Care Practitioner (ECP) may be employed in any area of care such as Primary Care Centres (GP Practices), Hospitals, Prisons, Walk in centres, or Out of Hours Medical Centres. The majority of ECP's work autonomously. Many are employed by Primary Care Trusts or Ambulance Services. The work of the ECP appears to be recognised as a valuable asset in many care arenas with the current trend of employment within GP practices becoming more prevalant