Professional Learning in the Ambulance Service

Abstract

Professional ongoing learning is becoming recognised as being as important as the initial preparation for occupational practice. Yet, how ongoing learning in professions can be organised and enacted in ways that effectively addresses the changing requirements of work has become a vexed issue. One con- sideration that is attracting growing interest and gaining credibility is for much of this ongoing development to occur through and be part of everyday work activities and practices, albeit these experiences being augmented by educational interven- tions (when required). Ambulance personnel provide an example of need to engage in continuous learning throughout their working lives, thus highlighting the impor- tance of identifying how this learning can best be promoted. This chapter describes and discusses a study examining professional learning in the ambulance service. The fi ndings are based on participant observation, where the aim was to be informed by what the data suggests rather than prescriptive accounts of how ambulance per- sonnel should learn in their workplace and work practice. The fi ndings demonstrate that both learning through practice and learning through educational activities are crucial for ambulance personnel’s professional learning . These two kinds of experi- ences fulfi l different learning needs, and are held to be complementary. In addition, the study supports the need to use a combined approach to learning (i.e. combining the individual cognitive approach and contributions from the social world) when explaining learning related to professional practice and work. In all, the case made across this chapter suggest that this combined approach to learning can enhance our understanding of workplace learning and that an emphasis on learning both through practice and through educational activities can potentially improve the process of continuous learning throughout individuals’ working lives. M.