Paramedicine in Germany- Breaking the Ceiling

In this episode we are thrilled to speak with Florian Breitenbach and Thomas Hofmann. Both Florian and Thomas are Paramedics working in Germany and our first guests as a part of our international episodes now being phased throughout the usual research podcast episodes, we hope you enjoy it! Thomas has been working full-time as a paramedic since 2002. He has extensive experience as an ambulance manager and has worked as a flight paramedic in Ghana. Thomas Hofmann holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a postgraduate diploma in international management from the University of Liverpool and a master’s degree in management. He is a registered paramedic in Great Britain and Denmark (Paramediciner). He is currently working full-time as a paramedic in southern Hesse and is doing his doctorate in the human and health sciences department at the University of BremenFlorian has been employed in the rescue and medical service since 2004. As a German-Australian he has an Australian BSc Paramedic from Edith Cowan University and an MSc in Professional Development, with a focus on international leadership and management from University of the West of England. He has worked in various clinical management roles in England and Australia and is currently employed as a project manager for a large ambulance service in Germany.Thomas and Florian lead the German Society for Paramedic ScienceHere are some links to info spoken about during the podcast:DGRe - German Society for Paramedic Science: https://www.dgre.org/en/ (mostly english, further english translation to come!)DGRe upcoming conference in April: https://forum-rettungswissenschaften.de/?lang=en (all in english, abstracts welcome!)Other Links about Paramedicine & Ambulance Services in Germany:Reforming the paramedic profession? Two weeks with paramedics in Germany: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/ippr.2021.11.1.19Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramedics_in_Germany & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_medical_services_in_GermanyGerman (federal) paramedic law: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/notsang/ (Use the translate function in your browser)Ambulance Service Law in the State of Hesse: https://soziales.hessen.de/sites/default/files/media/rettdgv_he_2019.pdfAmbulance Service Law in the State of Schleswig-Holstein: https://www.gesetze-rechtsprechung.sh.juris.de/jportal/?quelle=jlink&query=RettDG+SH&psml=bsshoprod.psml&max=true&aiz=true