Quality Assurance and Educational Guidelines for an Emergency Medical Preparatory Programme in South Africa: A Qualitative Case Study

Background and Aims When full qualifications delivered by higher education (HE) institutions replaced vocational short learning programmes previously offered by emergency medical care colleges in South Africa, many employed emergency medical care staff did not meet the HE admissions criteria. This paper, therefore, explores the dilemma of HE access for success and prepares working emergency medical care staff seeking a higher level of education. Therefore, the aim of this study was to refine a set of education guidelines to inform a credit‐bearing preparatory programme that would provide employed emergency medical care staff with articulation into HE and prepare them to succeed in their HE journey. Methods Emergency medical care experts were consulted to evaluate the proposed education guidelines. A qualitative Delphi survey was used to scrutinize the contents of the guidelines to identify possible gaps. Thematic analysis was used to classify data into various components. Result The key components that emerged from the data for inclusion in education guidelines for a preparatory programme are admission criteria, curriculum design, assessment, physical preparedness, generic skills/competencies, and quality assurance. The data also revealed the following important aspects: (1) A preparatory programme should focus on the social, intellectual and cultural needs of the in‐service staff; (2) although physical preparedness and learning to swim should be part of the preparatory programme, this should not be included as a formally assessed module; (3) candidates need to be screened for eligibility and preparedness to engage with HE; and (4) at‐risk candidates should be identified early on. Conclusion The evaluation by the expert panel allowed for the refinement and validation of the education guidelines, which informed the development and implementation of an Emergency Medical Preparatory Programme (EMPP) to provide HE access for emergency medical care staff to acquire formal HE qualifications.