There are six skill levels obtainable. They are divided into responder and practitioner categories. As of September 2019, all practitioners working on an emergency ambulance must be trained to a minimum of
paramedic, however in 2021 this minimum requirement was temporarily waived allowing an EMT to crew with a paramedic or advanced paramedic for the remainder of the
COVID-19 era. A practitioner working on a non-emergency transport or intermediate care vehicle must be at least an
emergency medical technician.
Responders Responder training is aimed towards workplace response,
Gardaí, fire service personnel,
military personnel, voluntary first aid organisations, sports clubs and security services. Voluntary first aid services such as
Civil Defence,
Order of Malta Ambulance Corps,
Irish Red Cross and the
St John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland avail of responder training to allow their members provide on-site first aid at the various events they cover. Certain remote communities have set up their own individual Cardiac First Response programmes, where various people in the area are trained to PHECC Level 1 (CFR) standard and are provided with an
Automated External Defibrillator. These responders can then be called or paged to the scene of a cardiac arrest to provide
CPR and defibrillation, where the increased response time of an ambulance would greatly affect the patient's outcome.
Practitioners Practitioners must maintain their place on the register annually in order to practice. Once registered, practitioners are governed by a code of conduct, care principles, regulations and various laws, (primarily
tort law) when engaging with the public. As a result, practitioners are subject to professional accountability in terms of their professional practice and actions. Upon qualification and registration, a practitioner is issued with an identification number and licence card. The practitioner's PIN must be entered on all patient care records for any incident where the practitioner had contact with a patient. It is the responsibility of the licence holder to maintain an ongoing, predetermined standard of competency. == CPG Approved Service Providers ==