December 8, 2015
Greg Reaburn, a critical care paramedic attached to the Queensland Ambulance Service at Murgon, has won a grant from the Kenneth James McPherson Education and Research Foundation.
This grant recognises Greg’s innovative work in combining the roles of paramedic and physician assistant.
Greg has worked at the Murgon station for over two years.
In 2012, he began studying in a pilot medical program called Physician Assistant (PA) offered by James Cook University.
A PA is a registered health care professional, trained to provide medical care in a hospital environment, who practises medicine with the delegation and collaboration of a doctor.
PAs acquire advanced assessment, diagnostic and therapeutic reasoning skills.
They are able to order and interpret laboratory and radiology tests, and can diagnose and treat a broad range of medical conditions.
PAs also understand disease prevention and chronic disease management.
Upon successful completion of his study program, Greg has become a champion for rural paramedicine.
He recently presented a proposal to the QAS Commissioner for a combined Paramedic/PA model of medical service delivery for the “bush”, actively combining pre-hospital, hospital and primary health care roles.
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About The K.J. McPherson Education and Research Foundation
The K.J. McPherson Education and Research Foundation was founded in 1987 as a memorial to Kenneth James McPherson, a 27-year-old Queensland Ambulance Officer who lost his life in an Aerial Ambulance crash in Bundaberg.
It now operates as a not-for-profit Foundation which commemorates all Queensland Ambulance officers who have given their lives in the call of duty, and it works to identify research opportunities for officers of the Queensland Ambulance Service.
The purpose of the Foundation is to promote pre-hospital care research activities that contribute directly to improving patient care.
The Foundation achieves this by making a major grant and other grants and awards available to Queensland Ambulance Service officers, and funds these grants through sponsorships and donations.
Research sponsored by the Foundation contributes to quality patient outcomes by improving clinical practice and response systems through research.
