Paramedic Science (Degree Apprenticeship) - BSc (Hons)
Currently viewing course to start in 2024/25 Entry.
This BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science Integrated Degree Apprenticeship will develop your theoretical knowledge and practical skills within both the university and clinical practice environment. To be a paramedic, you must be able to overcome challenges, show initiative and demonstrate critical thinking....
- Level Apprenticeship
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City South
- Award BSc (Hons)
- Start date September 2024
- School School of Health Sciences
- Faculty Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences
This course is:
Overview
This BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science Integrated Degree Apprenticeship will develop your theoretical knowledge and practical skills within both the university and clinical practice environment. To be a paramedic, you must be able to overcome challenges, show initiative and demonstrate critical thinking. This apprenticeship will equip you with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to rise to these challenges, while developing your communication skills and knowledge.
This apprenticeship has been developed in collaboration with employers within the region and beyond and complies with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Education and Training (2022) and the College of Paramedics Curriculum Guidance (2017), which means you will be eligible to apply for registration with the HCPC upon successful completion of the apprenticeship.
How to apply
You apply for a degree apprenticeship in the same way you apply for a normal job. You’ll need to submit an application to the recruiting employer.
Employers advertise degree apprenticeships throughout the year and there is no application cycle like there is with university applications. The vacancy will state when the application deadline is, and when the apprenticeship is due to start.
You cannot apply directly to the University for a degree apprenticeship. To apply for an apprenticeship, you first need to find one that you are interested in applying for.
The NHS Jobs website is where the vacancies are advertised. It only shows live jobs (so it won’t tell you previous vacancies, nor what’s coming up), so you will need to check it regularly to see new vacancies as the employers advertise them.
What's covered in this course?
This apprenticeship is designed to be a catalyst for you to apply for registration with the HCPC and develop a successful career as a paramedic.
Modules provide a balance between theory and practical application and an opportunity for you to reflect and apply context to your on-the-job learning.
Taught content will explore key legalisation, guidelines and standards that influence paramedic practice in a range of clinical contexts, with diverse service users’ groups, conceptualising British values.
The course and module content is designed to develop your literacy skills through academic writing at level 4, 5 and 6, alongside numeracy skills through drug calculations and interpretation of physiological results and research findings.
Accredited By
This course is accredited by:
What do apprenticeships offer?
- Work based learning – the opportunity to build on existing knowledge and skills
- Placement opportunities to broaden your understanding of healthcare provision across the lifespan
- Highly experienced tutors who are all professionally qualified to support you at university
- Work based clinical educators to support you in practice
- A wide range of support services available to you at university to support your learning journey
How will I study?
As an apprentice, you will be released by your employer to study part-time at university while having exposure to a range of practice placement settings.
In university, you will experience a mixture of face-to-face and virtual teaching, self-directed study, and practice-based clinical placements.
On the job, you will engage with practice partners and service users to learn the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to care for a wide range of patients in the pre-hospital environment.
Why Choose Us?
- This apprenticeship will support you to link theory to practice by providing relevant placements aligned to the theoretical topics.
- You will be taught by a team of registered professionals who are up-to-date in both their clinical practice and knowledge of educational concepts, as well as actively participating in the development of the profession.
- You will study in our state of the art Edgbaston campus, dedicated to Health and Life Science students.
- The apprenticeship is validated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), meaning on graduation you will be eligible to apply for professional registration, enabling you to seek employment as a paramedic.
Facilities & Staff
We have invested over £400 million in our facilities, including an upgrade to our Skills and Simulation facilities at City South Campus. We boast up-to-date, innovative facilities that simulate the real situations that you may come across in the workplace. These resources are essential in offering you a hands-on introduction to health and social care practice.
Mock Wards
These are set up to look like typical hospital wards, with four to six bays. Depending on the topic in hand, different manikins can be used as patients and relevant equipment is provided to practise clinical skills. Some of the manikins are interactive and can simulate different scenarios e.g. some allow you to cannulate, check pulses, intubate etc, and some can talk to you. One ward is often used as an adult ward, and the other as a child ward.
These rooms also allow for scenarios to be set up for other professions such as dietetics, paramedic science and social work.
The Operating Theatre and Recovery Suites
The operating theatre and recovery suite gives you the sense of what it would be like in a real surgical environment.
These spaces emulate the full surgical journey from anaesthetics, through surgery and into recovery. ODP students can practice a range of skills including gowning, hand washing, preparing instrument trays, and working with a patient. Nurses and midwives may experience a surgical placement and need to go to theatre or be part of the midwifery team involved with caesarean sections. Many other Allied Health Professionals may also see patients in recovery if necessary.
Home Environment Room
This facility replicates a small flat with bedroom, bathroom and kitchen diner space. It is used to simulate non-clinical settings, to give students experience of working in different environments. It also incorporates a range of digital health technology, to help prepare students to work in the NHS of the future.
Simbulance
Our ‘Simbulance’ is a purpose built teaching space that allows students to practise their skills in a highly specialist, high-fidelity simulated environment. The Simbulance is an exact replica of an operational emergency ambulance. Learners are truly immersed in the clinical environment and test their knowledge and skills in a safe and supported space, before entering the clinical environment ‘for real’ on placement.
Assisted Living Space
This space replicates a flat and is used for scenarios such as home visits. The sitting room area provides a different space to practise skills and simulations and work with service users and other students.
Assisted Kitchen
This specially designed kitchen has different areas where you can practice cooking, cleaning, boiling the kettle etc., with someone who has actual or simulated visual impairments. There are adapted devices to help, and simulation glasses for you to wear to experience visual impairments.
Physiotherapy Room
This is a space for physiotherapy students to use, with various equipment to practise client meetings.
Radiotherapy Planning Computer Suite
Our computers allow you to plan hypothetical treatments, in terms of angles and directions, ensuring that radiotherapy reaches where it is needed on a patient’s body.
Radiography Image Interpretation and Reporting Stations Computer Suite
These facilities allow you to view and analyse x-rays.
VERT - Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training
This room contains 3D technology to view virtual patients and look at trajectories for treatment.
Radiotherapy
This room contains the same bed/couch used when patients are given radiotherapy treatment. While students of course do not administer radiotherapy in this room, it does allow them to practise adjusting the equipment to make sure both it and a patient would be in the correct position to receive treatment.
Telehealth Room
This room allows for small group teaching in a central area (large boardroom type table) with five small telehealth booths down either side. These are to allow all our health professions students to practise delivering healthcare and advice remotely, either over the phone or on a video call. This addition to our teaching reflects moves in the sector to offer more flexible access to healthcare services, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Imaging Academy
This new facility is a larger version of our existing image interpretation computer facilities and forms part of the Midlands Imaging Academy Hub, funded by Health Education England. These expanded facilities will mean we can further develop our courses and expertise in radiography and imaging.
Speech and Language Therapy Resource Room
Our Speech and Language Therapy Team have developed a collection of tools, books and resources to help you learn and understand the implications of a speech or swallowing limitation. You can practise one to one client meetings and clinics and use the video recording equipment to review role play scenarios.
Ultrasound simulation suite
Students have access to a wide range of Ultrasound simulation equipment to develop their clinical skills and aid in training. The equipment includes two ultrasound machines with a range of phantoms, scan training stations and eve body works.
Our staff
Sharon Hardwick
Associate Professor of Life Sciences
Sharon has been a paramedic for over 20 years after starting her career with West Midlands Ambulance Service working in Coventry. In 2001 she became a clinical supervisor in what was Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service, where she supported and mentored newly qualified staff through their training period.
More about Sharon