How do Newly Qualified Paramedics Experience the Transition to Autonomous Practice, and What Role do Formal Support Structures Play in this Transition? A Scoping Review
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Abstract
The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence in relation to graduate paramedic transition into autonomous practice and what role formal support structures such as preceptorship play in this process.
Healthcare graduates experience a range of challenges on transition into the workplace. Many organizations provide formal support to mitigate some of these challenges. This review sought to understand the evidence related to the 2 concepts.
A PCC framework was used to frame the review question, inclusion criteria being English language, peer reviewed studies which included paramedics with less than 3 years’ experience post qualification, the years 1997-2026 were chosen for inclusion also.
EBSCO, Web of Science and Scopus databases were searched on 30th May 2026. English language and the years 1997-2026 applied as limiters. Titles and abstracts were used for the first stage of screening before remaining studies were scrutinized using inclusion / exclusion criteria applied independently by 2 reviewers. Data was extracted independently by 2 reviewers before being written up by the first author.
5 themes were identified: professional socialization, emotional burden, relational perspective, theory-practice gap, and workplace culture. Graduates experienced a range of challenges, barriers, and facilitators during transition. Formal support structures were noted to form part of this.
Formal support structures such as preceptorship can help graduates overcome challenges faced in their transition into autonomous practice. Further research is required from a graduate’s perspective to design robust preceptorship systems.
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