Preparing for Death, Dying and Bereavement Care: Student Paramedic Perspectives on a Novel Learning Module

Abstract

Emergency ambulance personnel are commonly the last health professionals to care for people in the moments before death and the first to provide families with bereavement care, particularly when death is sudden or unexpected. Despite this, paramedic training seldom discusses, simulates or assesses termination of resuscitation, or breaking bad news to family. This paper describes paramedicine students’ experiences of a dedicated learning module designed to prepare them for patient death and caring for bereaved families. A lecture, small-group case studies and actor-led simulations were embedded into paramedic degree students’ final year of study. Students shared their perspectives on learning about death, dying, and bereavement through focus groups or an online survey. Students found talking about death and supporting acute grief unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Eager to provide reassurance in a crisis, many expressed ongoing concerns about saying the wrong thing. Participants wanted greater integration of challenging communication and cultural responsiveness throughout their degree, noting opportunities for learning during clinical placements were precious but limited. Actor-led simulation of patient death and family grief presented an important but unfamiliar divergence from standardized, action-packed resuscitation scenarios. Greater acknowledgement of death, dying and bereavement throughout training could better prepare paramedics for the realities of emergency ambulance work.