Education of Professional Emergency Services Workers
Mihaela Tomiță, Irina Vastag
Abstract. Working in the field of professional emergency services involves a demanding job, with a high level of exhaustion and this analytical approach aims to highlight the importance of training and continuing education in occupational stress management. In this sense, the paper also aims an integrative review of the training process which, through critical and then synthetic examination, will be a starting point for management and awareness of the importance of providing appropriate training to ensure the worker’s compatibility with work. Continuing education of professional emergency services workers must function as a need for resilience, social and pedagogical, which can be met through training and professional development programs. It is a basic condition for improving emotional knowledge and optimizing organizational behaviours, for increasing work efficiency and effectiveness, identifying the most appropriate solutions to professional challenges and achieving desirable and sustainable results, especially in the current pandemic context. We aim for this paper to provide vital information to management teams in the field of professional emergency services to understand why some workers have a higher level of resilience in relation to career development, and others a lower one. Based on these data, they should be able to provide adequate support, encourage a positive work organization culture and develop programs to help them become and remain resilient in the professional environment, especially in uncertain times such as the ones we are currently crossing. More than ever, employees need stable benchmarks, security, appreciation, credibility, which is why internal education and on-thejob training must be given a fundamental role by managers and internal specialists. It is important for “front-line staff” to be provided not only with material resources, but also with continuing and adequate training, so that they are always ready to transform in order to keep rhythm with change, to use their crystallized intelligence before fluid, perform their tasks in a way that does not expose themselves, others or the institution to unnecessary risks. Implementing an intervention strategy in the instructionaleducational process, following the model of the workplace education program, developed by McDonald and collaborators in 2012, focused on issues such as: developing mentoring relationships, building resilience, maintaining a positive attitude, intellectual flexibility, emotional intelligence and reflection in participatory learning groups, is an essential element of training and strengthening the resilience of professional emergency workers. The effects are visible directly and in the long term on increasing self-confidence, commitment to work, self-awareness, flexibility, developing proactive skills for the diversity and complexity of tasks and communication and problem solving skills, despite countless challenges and socio-professional pressures.
Keywords: continuing education, professional emergency services, resilience in relation to career development.