Labour market policy
Every segment of the healthcare sector is facing a shortage of qualified personnel, and the ambulance care segment is no exception. For this reason, it is important to focus on labour market policy. The ambulance sector is taking part in regional action plans around the country and initiating sector-specific actions that should lead to sufficient numbers of ambulance care professionals being recruited. The fact sheets shown below summarise the key elements of the analyses and the action plan.
Working conditions
Good working conditions help to ensure that ambulance sector staff can do their work in a healthy and productive manner. Ambulance care employees encounter various risks while carrying out their profession. These risks – and rules on how to deal with them – can be found in the Ambulance Care Health and Safety Catalogue.
Training
Ambulance care means working with people. The quality of the ambulance care provided depends to a great extent on the expertise of the healthcare providers. The sector has specified the desired minimal expertise in terms of basic and further training, and essential knowledge and skills, for the various key positions within ambulance care.
Before employees can work completely independently as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), ambulance drivers or ambulance dispatch centre operators, they have to successfully complete initial or post-initial training. These initial and post-initial training courses within ambulance care are accredited by the Healthcare Training College (CZO).
After qualifying, an ambulance care professional receives further training and refresher training to remain skilled and competent.
Working in ambulance care
Recruitment as an EMT or an ambulance driver is subject to a pre-appointment medical examination. The ambulance sector has its own collective labour agreement (cao): the ambulance care collective agreement. This cao applies for all employees in ambulance care.