Paramedic Practice

Course overview: Gain the skills, knowledge and experience to register as a paramedic with the Health and Care Professions Council. Make a real difference to people’s lives when they are most in need.

Become a highly skilled autonomous practitioner able to confidently assess, prioritise, transfer, manage, treat, refer and discharge service users in the community. Gain skills to manage almost every category of patient, including children and adults, mental health, obstetric, medical and trauma incidents. Benefit from an equal balance of theoretical and practical learning, undertaking a range of practice placements throughout each year. Theory provides you with the knowledge, understanding and critical decision-making skills you need as a paramedic. You put this knowledge into your practice placements, enhancing and developing your skills as you make an immediate and continuing contribution to service user care. You also develop enhanced communication, personal and professional skills.

Care, compassion and commitment to high-quality care are essential skills. Gain support as you develop as a clinical leader and key decision-maker and improve your understanding of the wider healthcare network in practice placements. You integrate your knowledge, paramedic skills and attributes to competently assess and manage service users across the lifespan and in a range of settings.

Within a practice setting you are supernumerary, ensuring maximum exposure to the paramedic role and patient care episodes. A qualified practice educator supports your learning and helps you develop your knowledge and skills in practice. As part of the placement experience, you participate in a shift pattern rota or work weekends.

Please note 100% attendance is expected and monitored during this programme.

This course has ongoing approval from the Health and Care Professions Council, a multi-professional regulator that sets the minimum standards of education and training proficiency for 16 separate professional groups, including paramedics.

Top reasons to study this course:

1. Industry-standard facilities: you benefit by training in an immersive environment, such as our fully-equipped ambulance, preparing you for the role. 2. Financial support: study this course and you may be eligible for a £5,000 maintenance grant each year from the NHS Business Service Authority. Visit our course page to find out more.

After the course: Paramedics can be found in a wide variety of roles and organisations ranging from public bodies, such as the NHS, to more commercially-focused organisations outside the NHS.

Paramedics can be found in emergency departments, urgent care centres, GP surgeries, helicopter emergency services, hazardous area response teams (HART), cruise liners, in the community as part of a medical team, in events companies, search and rescue, close protection and working for the government, and arm’s length bodies such as Atos. They are also found in research roles in education, teaching pre-registration paramedic programmes, as consultants leading the profession in organisations, and in lead allied health professional roles both locally and nationally.

A large proportion of paramedics are employed by NHS ambulance services, voluntary organisations such as St John Ambulance or the British Red Cross, in traditional roles on ambulances, rapid response cars, or other specialist or advanced roles. If you choose to work for an NHS ambulance service they currently require a driving licence and that you meet the requirements of other Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency regulations.

In addition to post-qualifying roles, you will have the opportunity to further your career in specialist, advanced and consultant roles through postgraduate qualifications such as PgC, PgDip, master’s and professional doctorate qualifications.