Paramedic Courses, Requirements and Fees in South Africa

Paramedic courses are profession-oriented medical training courses that make it possible for students to develop a career in the medical field at a low cost and in a short amount of time. 

As job-oriented skills programs, paramedic courses provide ample employment opportunities to graduates because of the expansion of the healthcare industry. The relevance of paramedic courses cannot be undermined because, without the paramedics, the medical field would be crippled, and there is a range of options for postgraduate, graduate, diploma, and certificate courses.

List of Paramedic Courses

Here’s a list of available paramedic courses in South Africa.

1. Basic Ambulance Attendant (BAA)

Courses on Basic Ambulance Attendant (BAA) are short and do not usually last for more than one year. Basic ambulance attendants provide Basic Medical Care through non-invasive procedures like midwifery, CPR, and other types of first aid.

2. Critical Care Assistant (CCA)

Critical care assistants perform complex tasks such as Advanced Airway management, Advanced Obstetrical Emergencies & Treatment, Basic Medical Rescue, One Man Advanced CPR Cardioversion, Drug Therapy, and Advanced ECG interpretation.

3. Advanced Life Support Paramedic

ALS paramedics are hotly sought-after worldwide due to their training and skills. To become an ALS paramedic, you need to be skilled in Advanced midwifery, Advanced Airway Management, Advanced Resuscitation, Aviation Medicine, IV Drug Therapy up to schedule 7 drugs, and Marine Medicine.

4. National Diploma (N.Dip EMC) professionals 

This set of experts provide services such as midwifery, marine machine, advanced airway management, and aviation medicine. This diploma can be done by: BAAs, AEAs, CCAs, ECAs, and  Operational Emergency Care Orderlies (OECOs)

5. Intermediate Life Support (short course)

Intermediate life experts provide Intermediate Medical Intervention, including Defibrillation (shock) & chest decompression, IV therapy (drips), Bronchodilators, etc. To become a paramedic with Intermediate Life Support, you need 1000 operational hours as BLS and more.

6. Emergency Care Technician (ECT)

The ECT course can be done in between ILS and ALS once the student has passed the ILS exams. The scope of practice of an ECT is only slightly less than that of the advanced life support paramedics.

Part of the selection criteria for KZN EMS staff to attend the ECT course is that the staff must be an AEA and has passed several other entrance exams, including a test paper and fitness test.

7. Bachelor’s Degree EMT Experts

Although a Bachelor of health sciences (BSc) or Bachelor in Emergency Care (BEMS) or a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in Emergency Medical Care is required for this emergency health expert, you can also advance to the Master of Health Sciences in Emergency Medical Care and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Emergency Medical Care.

Various universities in South Africa offer these four-year full-time courses.

8. Ambulance Emergency Assistant (AEA)

Ambulance emergency assistants provide Intermediate Medical Intervention services like IV drug therapy, bronchodilators, defibrillation services, and chest decompression.

To find out if studying any of these courses automatically qualifies one to be a paramedic, kindly visit the website of your preferred school or meet any of their representatives at the school. Feel free to make further inquiries about your preferred course and requirements.

List Of The Schools And Province To Study Any Of The Paramedic Courses

• Gauteng

1. Action Training Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
2. Ambusave: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant
3. COJEMS Training Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance  Emergency Assistant course
4. Critical Care Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
5. De Vries Ambulance Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
6. Elihle College of Emergency Care: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
7. ER 24: Ambulance Emergency Assistant, Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
8. Global Emergency Technologies: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
9. IET Fire Rescue and EMS Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
10. Impact Emergency Technologies: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
11. Kernbridge FET College: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
12. Lebone College of Emergency Care: Ambulance Emergency Assistant Course, Critical Care Assistant, ECT
13. Netcare Education: Faculty of Emergency and Critical Care (FECC): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant, Critical Care Assistant
14. North West Private Ambulance Training College: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
15. Rescue-Life Africa: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
16. School for Military Health Training (Z): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant, Operational Emergency Care Orderly Course, ECT
17. University of Johannesburg: National Diploma: Emergency Medical Care, B Tech: Emergency Medical Care, 4-year Bachelor: Emergency Medical Care
18. SRQ Ambulance Training College: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Emergency Ambulance Assistance Course

• North West

1. Bokone Bophirima Ambulance Training College: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
2. Mokgojwa College of Emergency Care (used to be Tshedimosetso Trauma Training Ambulance Academy): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant
3. Mankwe Ambulance Training Centre: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant

• Northern Cape

1. Northern Cape College of Emergency Care: Ambulance Emergency Assistant

• Limpopo Province

1. Bokamoso Pre-Hospital Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
2. Ingozi Medicals: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course

• Free State

1. Golden Hour Ambulance Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
2. Impact Emergency Technologies: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
3. Free State College of Emergency Care: National Certificate: ECT
4. Leximed Training College: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course

• KwaZulu-Natal

1. Academy of Emergency Medical Training (AEMT): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant
2. Action Training Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
3. Africa Medical: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
4. College of Emergency Care- KwaZulu Natal: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant, ECT course
5. Durban University of Technology (DUT): NDip: EMC, BTech: EMC, MTech: EMC
6. KwaZulu Private Emergency Care Training Academy (KPECTA): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
7. Netcare Education: Faculty of Emergency and Critical Care (FECC): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant
8. St. John Ambulance Foundation: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course

• Eastern Cape

1. Eastern Cape Ambulance Training College (ECATC): Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant
2. Mary Grace Ambulance Academy: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
3. Queensland Ambulance College: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course
4. Nelson Mandela University (NMU): Bachelor of EMC

• Western Cape

1. Ambutek: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course, Ambulance Emergency Assistant
2. Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT): National Certificate: Emergency Care, National Diploma EMC, BTech: EMC, ECT
3. Provincial Government of the Western Cape College of Emergency Care: Ambulance Emergency Assistant, CCA, ECT
4. St John Ambulance Training Centre: Basic Ambulance Assistant Course

Paramedic Course Requirements In South Africa

Here are the requirements to become a fully certified paramedic in South Africa. 

Paramedic with Basic Life Support requirement

• Matric
• Code 10 Drivers License
• PrDp

Intermediate Life Support requirement

• 1000 operational hours as BLS
• Candidate must pass the pre-course examination for entry into the ILS course
• Then complete the four-month training course
• You must register as ILS at the HPCSA
• Plus, all other requirements for BAA

Basic Ambulance Attendance requirement

• Basic Ambulance Assistant (BAA) or Basic Life Support (BLS) or Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) certificate.

National Diploma (N.Dip EMC) professionals requirements at Netcare are:

• A two-year full-time Emergency Medical Care (EMC) diploma training.
• Senior Certificate with university exemption or an equivalent NQF Level 4 achievement
• A minimum M Score of 14 with these subject combinations: At least a Higher Grade D or Standard Grade C in Biology or Physiology A minimum of a Higher Grade D or Standard Grade C in Physical Science At least a Higher Grade D or Standard Grade C Mathematics.

Requirement For Bachelor Degree EMT Expert

• A Bachelor of health sciences (BSc) or Bachelor in Emergency Care (BEMS) or a Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degree in Emergency Medical Care is required for this emergency health expert.

Requirements for Ambulance Emergency Assistant

• You need an Ambulance Emergency Assistant (EAE) or Intermediate Life Support (ILS) certification.

Advanced Life Support Paramedic

• You need to be skilled in Advanced Airway Management, IV Drug Therapy up schedule 7 drugs, Advanced midwifery, Advanced Resuscitation, Aviation Medicine, and Marine Medicine.

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Paramedic Courses Fees

The cost of paramedic courses varies depending on the specific course. Unfortunately, we couldn’t lay our hands on the detailed record of paramedic courses in the country. However, those seeking to enroll in Basic Ambulance Assistant courses should budget anything from R8500 to R9000 – for full-time students.

You can also apply for EMT scholarships and grants if you are not financially buoyant to enroll in any of the abovementioned paramedic schools.