BSc in
BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science University of Portsmouth
Introduction
Paramedics are vital to the health, safety and wellbeing of the nation.
If you’re ready to work at the frontline of the NHS, this BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science degree will prepare you for life as a registered paramedic.
Course highlights
- Practise your skills on medical manikins and simulated patients safely and under expert supervision in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, one of the country’s leading healthcare teaching environments
- Gain more than 1,500 hours of practical experience on placement with real paramedic teams and in clinical settings, including community medicine, emergency departments, minor injuries units, maternity and critical care
- Get expert support from a personal mentor within the Ambulance Service
- Receive an induction, full uniform and PPE (personal protective equipment) from the NHS Trust you're assigned to
- Become eligible to register as a paramedic with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) when you graduate
Approved by:
This course is approved by the Health & Care Professions Council.
It is also 2nd for Paramedic Science in the Complete University Guide League Tables 2022.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
You may be able to partly or fully fund the costs of your study with a bursary or scholarship. You can use these alongside student loans, and you don't have to pay them back.
Whether you can get a scholarship or bursary depends on your circumstances. So they aren't available to everyone.
These are the scholarships and bursaries we currently offer to home (UK) students. You may also be eligible for some of these scholarships and bursaries if you have refugee status or are seeking asylum.
- The University of Portsmouth Bursary – £750 a year
- Care Leavers Bursary – £1,750 a year
- Stand Alone Bursary – £1,000 a year
- Young Carers Bursary – £500 a year
- Unite Scholarship – a free place in halls
- Greenwich Hospital Bursary – £3,000 a year
- Sport Scholarship
- NHS Learning Support Fund – at least £5,000 a year
- Best Begins Scholarship – £5,000
- Portsmouth Football Club Partnership Scholarship – £3,000 a year towards course fees
- Sanctuary Scholarship
- Sanctuary Language Bursary
NHS Learning Support Fund
- At least £5,000 a year
On this course, you may be eligible for additional funding through the NHS Learning Support Fund bursary of at least £5,000 a year.
Curriculum
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
- Core Skills Training Framework – 0 credits
- DBS Check – 0 credits
- Foundation of Evidence-Based Practice (Paramedic) – 20 credits
- Foundations of Paramedic Professional Practice – 40 credits
- Fundamentals of Paramedic Practice – 20 credits
- Interprofessional Tutorial – 0 credits
- Occupational Health Year 1 – 0 credits
- Paramedic Science Tutorials Level 4 – 0 credits
- Science Informing Practice (Paramedic) – 40 credits
There are no optional modules this year.
Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
- Acute Prehospital Care – 20 credits
- Applied Paramedic Professional Practice – 40 credits
- Core Skills Training Framework Repeat Level 5 – 0 credits
- Engaging With Service Improvement (Paramedic) – 20 credits
- Evidence-Based Decision Making – 20 credits
- Occupational Health Year 2 – 0 credits
- Paramedic Science Tutorials Level 5 – 0 credits
- Patient Assessment – 20 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
Year 3
Core modules in this year include:
- Assessment and Care of the Older Adult – 20 credits
- Core Skills Training Framework Repeat Level 6 – 0 credits
- Enhancing Paramedic Professional Practice – 40 credits
- Paramedic Science Tutorials Level 6 – 0 credits
- Pathology and Therapeutics for Paramedics – 20 credits
- Project – 40 credits
There are no optional modules in this year.
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry, and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Ambulance and clinical placements
To prepare you for your career as a paramedic, you'll get at least 1,500 hours of experience on work placements in paramedic teams and other clinical settings.
Ambulance placements
Each year, you'll complete an ambulance placement, working 37.5 hours a week (which includes 7.5 hours a week of study time).
You'll be allocated a clinical mentor from the Ambulance Service, and you'll work with a clinical team that consists of a team leader, paramedics, specialist paramedics, ambulance technicians, associate ambulance practitioners, emergency care assistants and other student paramedics.
You'll work alongside and be supervised by a paramedic on every shift and work in different ambulance stations across Hampshire or the Isle of Wight (depending on where you live during your studies). Your shift patterns will mirror what you'll experience as a paramedic and will include weekend and bank holiday shifts, night shifts, early shifts and late shifts.
Clinical placements
You'll also undertake the following clinical placements:
- Year 1 – a 1-week community placement in a setting such as a drugs and alcohol rehabilitation team or with a learning disabilities team
- Year 2 – a 2-week in-hospital placement, which allows you to experience various clinical departments such as maternity, emergency departments and coronary care units
- Year 3 – a 3-day placement in a setting such as an ambulance control centre or minor injuries unit
Career Opportunities
As the first healthcare providers on the scene in an emergency, paramedics have to take rapid action to save lives, often working alongside other first response teams like the police and the fire service.
A career as a paramedic is fast-paced and demanding but also incredibly rewarding. As ambulance call-outs continue to rise, paramedics are needed in ambulance trusts nationwide – there were 783,050 incidents in June 2021, 80,000 more than in the same month two years ago.
Delivering frontline care when it's needed most
With this Paramedic Science degree, you’ll master the complexities of acute pre-hospital care and learn to assess patients and treat patients using life-saving equipment safely and effectively.
At the end of the course, you'll be eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for professional registration as a qualified paramedic in the public or private sector.
As a paramedic in the NHS in 2021, you'd begin your career on a Band 5 salary of £25,655 to £31,534 before moving up to Band 6 after two years in your role, which ranges from £32,306 to £39,027.
With more experience, you could progress to becoming a consultant paramedic, making up to £75,874 (Band 8c).
Once you graduate, you’ll also be prepared for jobs in clinical settings like telephone triage services, helicopter emergency medical services, ambulance trusts, or in special operations response.
Where could you work as a paramedic?
Many graduates work in ambulance trusts – recent graduates have gone on to work for organisations including:
- South Central Ambulance Service
- London Ambulance Service
- South Western Ambulance Service Trust
- East of England Ambulance Service
- Welsh Ambulance Service
- North East Ambulance Service
What else can I do with a Paramedic Science degree?
You could also work in clinical settings such as:
- GP surgeries
- Primary and secondary healthcare
- Telephone triage services (such as NHS 111)
- Helicopter emergency services
- Special operations response
You can also continue your study at the postgraduate level or take on a career in teaching, research or clinical management.
Ongoing careers support
After you graduate, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability Service as you advance in your career.
Facilities
Student Testimonials
English Language Requirements
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