Paramedic Science

You’re resilient and a great communicator. You have a passion to help your local community. You thrive in the unknown and in emergency situations. We can provide specialist training to begin your career as a fully qualified paramedic. Your degree will allow you to practise as a safe and competent paramedic. We will continue to support you after graduation, with continuing professional development and postgraduate courses.

What’s more, our Allied Health Profession courses are ranked 1st in the North West and top 10 in the UK. We are also 1st in the North West for continuation and career prospects following graduation from Allied Health Profession Courses (Guardian University Guide 2023 Results).

Course Overview
Application of theory to practice is integral to your learning and understanding, and our BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science course reflects this. Throughout your degree, you'll be engaged in weekly practical learning to confirm and practise newly learned subject areas. Supporting this, you will learn through simulation exercises via our key practice partners and in our own dedicated simulation facilities. For example, in your first year you will work with the fire and ambulance service through station-based inductions and vehicle extraction exercises.

In addition, our major incident day gives you the opportunity to work with policing and forensic science students to deal with a series of realistic simulated crimes. You'll have the unique opportunity to study elements of traumatic jobs in the real world with actors and realistic scenarios to develop quick thinking and essential lifesaving skills.

Our modern facilities including a simulated ambulance, a mock hospital ward and a mock patient residence. All equipment is based at the Lancaster campus and is geared up for a truly unique experience for paramedic practice and the ‘real-life’ scenes that aid your development as a professional.

Alongside this, you'll gain 1,875 hours of practice placement experience with the ambulance service and 'spoke' learning in areas such as emergency departments, mental health, end-of-life care, hospital theatres, GP practices, nursing homes and residential homes.

On this course you will...

• Receive supportive teaching from tutors within a close-knit learning community.

• Be taught by a diverse teaching faculty, with an abundance of practice experience and individual practice expertise.

• Experience a variety of learning methods, utilising the excellent paramedic facilities on campus.

• Undertake a second year 'rural paramedicine' module, developing your ability to manage patients for longer periods of time.

• Discover the contemporary programme, designed to develop you to be prepared for practice in the ambulance service setting.

What You Will Learn
On this programme, you will gain experience both clinically and academically, in pre-hospital care in both the ambulance service and in other clinical settings. Fifty weeks of your studies are undertaken on placement, where you will be guided by registered professionals with a variety of experience and skills.

The programme is informed by practice and scholarly research. Academic weeks consist of four full learning days which are a blend of learning by theory and practical sessions. You will be allocated a fixed study day each academic week to consolidate your learning and prepare for assessments. All our practice placements offer a full range of clinical exposure, inclusive of ambulance and non-ambulance settings. Placements will be provided across a wide geographical area within the North West (predominantly Cumbria). Whilst on practice placements you will observe the practice of registered professionals, working under their supervision and participating in clinical practice.

Year one

• Developing Person Centred Care in Paramedic Practice 1
  This module will enable you to demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of person-centred care in paramedic practice.
• Physical and Clinical Sciences
  This module will enable you to demonstrate foundation knowledge of the structure and function of human anatomy and physiology inclusive of the major body systems.
• Clinical Practice 1
  This module will enable you to undertake a period of development in practice and to be summatively assessed as competent in a range of expected professional values, skills and competencies for the emerging Paramedic, as identified in your clinical practice assessment documentation.
• Professionalism and Followship
  This module will develop your understanding of professionalism, including digital professionalism, regulation by the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). The module will establish a foundation level understanding of values and ethics and how these can impact person centred care.
• Introduction to Research and Evidence-based Practice
  This module will help you develop knowledge and understanding of the evidence base for pre-hospital and emergency care, the professional roles of registered health professionals and the importance of their supporting role, including the use of therapeutic interventions.

Year two

• Developing Person Centred Care in Paramedic Practice 2
  This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of person-centred care and the relevant underpinning theories and evidence base which informs person centred care.
• Clinical Practice 2
  This module will enable you to undertake a period of development in practice and to be summatively assessed as competent in a range of expected professional values, skills and competencies for the developing paramedic, as identified in your year two clinical practice assessment documentation.
• Social Health Behavioural Sciences
  This module will develop your understanding of societal health determinants, key health and social care policies that shape and influence paramedic practice.
• Research Methods
  This module aims to develop your understanding of evidence-based research in paramedic practice. You will learn an array of knowledge and skills to equip you to develop a research proposal and undertake a research project.
• Professionalism, Law and Ethics
  This module will further develop your understanding of leadership theories and develop and understand your own leadership skills.

Year three

• Dissertation
  This module will allow you to demonstrate your ability to work independently to produce a small research-based project, on a negotiated topic, within the sphere of paramedic practice.
• Understanding Primary Care
  This module will advance your knowledge of primary and urgent care structures and how a paramedic functions within these systems.
• Clinical Practice 3
  This module will enable you to undertake a period of development in practice and to be summatively assessed as competent in a range of expected professional values, skills and competencies as you develop as an autonomous clinician.
• Contemporary Issues in Paramedicine
  This module will explore contemporary issues related to paramedic practice. You will develop your understanding of dealing with and leading complex situations including unplanned and unexpected death across the lifespan.
• Leadership and Management
  This module will develop your understanding and skills in leadership and mentorship as you move towards completion of the programme.

Formative assessment is an important feature within the programme and may include in‐class or online activities such as research diaries, assignments and tests. The programme ensures summative assessments are designed to provide a creative and balanced strategy throughout the programme. The summative assessments all relate to the working environment of a paramedic enabling you to take your assessed learning into the practice environment to optimise the provision of patient care.