Poland revises paramedic training standards, reshaping clinical placements

The Minister of Science and Higher Education has issued a regulation amending the national standards for education preparing students for the medical professions, with the most significant changes affecting the professional practice requirements for future paramedics. The regulation, dated 20 August 2026 and published in Dziennik Ustaw on 9 September 2026 as poz. 1189, was signed on behalf of the Minister by K. Zioło-Pużuk.

The act amends the ministerial regulation of 26 July 2019 on education standards for the professions of physician, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife, laboratory diagnostician, physiotherapist and paramedic. It rewrites annex 7 (the physiotherapist standard) in full and modifies the professional practice table in annex 8, which governs the paramedic curriculum.

New practice framework for paramedic students

The revised annex 8 sets out a detailed schedule of clinical placements for first-cycle paramedic studies, distinguishing between summer and mid-year practices. The placements are distributed across emergency and hospital settings:

• Summer practices: Zespół ratownictwa medycznego (emergency medical team) — 156 hours / 6 ECTS; Szpitalny oddział ratunkowy (SOR, emergency department) — 156 hours / 6 ECTS; Oddział anestezjologii i intensywnej terapii (anaesthesiology and intensive care) — 96 hours / 4 ECTS; Blok operacyjny (operating theatre) — 96 hours / 4 ECTS; Oddział psychiatrii (psychiatry ward) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS.
• Mid-year practices: Oddział chirurgii ogólnej (general surgery) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS; Oddział ortopedyczno-urazowy (orthopaedic-trauma) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS; Oddział chorób wewnętrznych (internal medicine) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS; SOR — 108 hours / 4 ECTS; Oddział neurologii z pododdziałem udarowym (neurology with stroke unit) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS; Oddział kardiologii (cardiology) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS; Oddział pediatrii (paediatrics) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS; Zespół ratownictwa medycznego — 108 hours / 4 ECTS; Oddział ginekologii i położnictwa (gynaecology and obstetrics) — 30 hours / 1 ECTS.

In total, the professional practices amount to 960 hours and 36 ECTS credits. The regulation also repeals point 3 of part II.A of annex 8.

Application and transition rules

The new paramedic standard applies to first-cycle studies on the ratownictwo medyczne (emergency medical services) programme beginning in the 2025/2026 academic year. By contrast, the rewritten physiotherapist standard in annex 7 takes effect for physiotherapy programmes starting in the 2027/2028 academic year, with transitional provisions for students who began earlier.

The regulation enters into force 14 days after its publication, i.e. on 23 September 2026.

What this means for universities and graduates

For universities running paramedic programmes, the revised standard rebalances the weight given to emergency-department, anaesthesiology and pre-hospital placements, aligning practical training more closely with the realities of emergency care. For students and future graduates, the changes determine where and how many hours of clinical practice they must complete before sitting their diploma examination, directly shaping their readiness for work in SOR units, emergency medical teams and intensive-care settings.

Source: Dziennik Ustaw, No. 2026, 9 September 2026, section I, p. 1 (official reference: Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1189).