Paramedic Science

Study options

Award

BSc (Hons)

Key facts

UCAS code:
B780
Location:
Centre for Health Innovation Stafford
Study option:
Full-time
Duration:
3 Years
Start date:
23 September 2024

HCPC approved

Provides eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a paramedic

Specialist facilities

Including our Paramedic Training Ambulance and Clinical Skills Labs

Specialist Lecturing Team

Over 16 Specilatist Paramedics drawing on their many years combined service

Develop the life-saving clinical skills and interventions needed to deliver patient care in the complex and dynamic pre-hospital care environment.

In accordance with the College of Paramedics' Curriculum Guidance, this course incorporates key areas of the physical and life sciences, social health, behavioural and clinical sciences, ethics and law, leadership and evidence/research-based practice.

Your time at the University will be spent at our Centre for Health Innovation, where you will learn the theoretical elements of Paramedic Science and practice your skills in our dedicated skills labs.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science

Work placements

As training to be a paramedic also demands real-world experience, you will undertake an assessed practice learning placement in each year of study.

For real-world training, placement hours comply with guidance from the College of Paramedics and include working a full range of shifts alongside a dedicated Paramedic from the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Course content

Taught by experienced paramedics and specialist lecturers from other healthcare professions, you will face realistic scenarios and learn to use a wide range of pre-hospital emergency response equipment.

You’ll hone your skills in our fully equipped training ambulance and our authentic ‘patient house’.

Other training activities typically include a casualty extrication exercise at Staffordshire Fire Service HQ (where you will learn how to triage and treat alongside Fire Service and Police trainees) and scenario training in our Centre of Health Innovation Simmersive environments. 

Academic year

The course operates on a modular basis. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity.

All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 360 credits for the degree as a whole. Your overall grade for the course and your degree classification are based on the marks obtained for modules taken at levels 5 and 6.

Professional body accreditation

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a paramedic.

Health & Care Professions Council

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a paramedic.

Paramedic students share their expertise with Sport and Exercise

Paramedic students share their expertise with Sport and Exercise

Video

Our students taught some basic first aid techniques to our Sport and Exercise students using the sports pitch and Immersive Suite as settings.

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Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Entry requirements

Typical UCAS offer: 112-120 points, plus GCSE in Mathematics and English at Grade C (4) or above.

  • GCE A Levels - grades BBC or equivalent
  • Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • Access to HE Diploma - Pass Access with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points. Applicants to Staffs who are taking the Access to HE Diploma receive a reduced tariff point offer as part of our access and participation plan activity
  • UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
  • OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
  • T Levels - Eligible T Level applications will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer

All applicants must be 18 years or over upon commencement of the programme.

All applicants who are shortlisted for the BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science will be invited to attend a Selection Day at the Centre of Excellence. Whilst part of this day will be a short face-to-face interview, it also gives applicants the opportunity to see and experience our brilliant facilities, meet our Academics and to get to speak with others who have applied to the programme.

All applications must be able to communicate in English to the standard equivalent to Level 7 IELTS with no elements below 6.5.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

Teacher turned student graduates with first-class degree

News

A former deputy headteacher has demonstrated that it is never too late to learn after retraining as a paramedic at Staffordshire University

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

GO

Facilities

Careers

Graduates can apply for employment within any NHS or private pre-hospital organisation. Typically, graduates will gain employment with NHS Ambulance Trusts and with a range of private providers.

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.

Bridie Benson - From retail to resus

Bridie Benson - From retail to resus

Video

Bridie talks about her journey from retail to studying for her dream career, challenging and fulfilling placements and the breadth of career options for paramedics.

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Teaching and assessment

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, and laboratory practicals. Seminars enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups of around 16-18 students. You will be taught in first-class learning spaces throughout your course.

Assessment

Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module normally includes practice or ‘formative’ assessments, for which you receive feedback from your tutor. Practice assessments are developmental and any grades you receive for them do not count towards your module mark. There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations, final year, independent project, and written examinations. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills); written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy); academic writing (including how to reference); research skills; critical thinking and understanding arguments; and revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

Thomas Rafter - Making a difference really makes you feel good

Thomas Rafter - Making a difference really makes you feel good

Video

Thomas talks about his journey from a lifeguard to training to be a paramedic, the many challenging scenarios on placement and the satisfaction of making a difference.

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Your overall workload will consist of class contact hours, independent learning, assessment activity and study visits where appropriate. Your actual contact hours will depend on the subject area and professional body requirements.

However, you can normally expect that time spent in scheduled teaching and learning activity will be highest in Level 4, decreasing in Levels 5 and 6 as independent learning becomes more significant.

Year 1

22% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
42% of time in independent study
36% of time in work based learning

Year 2

20% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
39% of time in independent study
41% of time in work based learning

Year 3

17% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
48% of time in independent study
35% of time in work based learning

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars, laboratory or other timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve utilising a range of digital resources including our virtual learning environment; reading journals, articles and books; working on individual and group projects; undertaking research in the library; preparing coursework assignments and presentations and preparing for examinations. Your independent learning will be supported by a range of excellent facilities. These include the library, open access computer facilities, informal learning zones, a range of laboratories and performance and studio spaces.

Year 1

50% practical assessments
38% coursework
13% written exams

Year 2

38% practical assessments
25% coursework
38% written exams

Year 3

50% practical assessments
50% coursework
0% written exams

Staff

You will be taught by an expert teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teaching training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader.

Your tutors are experienced practitioners who will bring real-life experiences to your learning using the most up-to-date skills and technologies

Kirsty Apps

Senior Lecturer

Kirsty is an experienced pre-hospital practitioner and educator. Her main area of interest is the development of professional practice and support for students and mentors in practice.

Kirsty's profile

Gavin Johnson

Course Director

Course Director and HCPC registered Paramedic. Areas of interest include Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors within the pre-hospital emergency environment.

Gavin's profile

Sarah Postles

Senior Lecturer

I am a Lecturer in Paramedic Science with an interest in Advanced Practice and the evolving role of the Paramedic in the wider health service.

Sarah's profile

Nigel Williams

Senior Lecturer

Nigel has performed a variety of roles in his long career in the NHS and private sector healthcare. Since qualifying as a Nurse over 20yrs ago he has gained expertise in patient quality and safety, Clinical audit, and pre-hospital care.

Nigel's profile

Benjamin Hallam

Senior Lecturer

I pursued a career as a paramedic after a traumatic accident left me appalled by the care I had received. From that event, I felt strongly that I wanted to contribute towards providing a positive experience for patients in need.

Benjamin's profile

Rebecca Colthup

Lecturer

I joined the university in December 2021 as a full-time lecturer on the Paramedic Science team. I have 15 years’ experience working for the NHS for both the West Midlands and East of England Ambulance Trusts.

Rebecca's profile

Rebecca Jenkins

Lecturer

Laura Birkett

Lecturer In Paramedic Science

Laura is a practising paramedic and new to Higher Education. She is passionate about people and provided good quality care and educating others around the subject of pre-hospital emergency medicine.

Laura's profile

Tina Spittle

Senior Lecturer

Tina is the paramedic placement lead for the UG degree. Tina is a operational paramedic and is passionate about providing students with the best placement experience consolidating theoretical knowledge with clinical skills to provide holistic care.

Tina's profile

John Durham

Lecturer

John is a registered Paramedic as well as a lecturer and active researcher. His main area of interest is continuing professional development and inclusivity with a focus on ADHD.

John's profile

Rachael Grant-Smith

Lecturer

Rachael is a HCPC registered Paramedic and is a Paramedic Lecturer.

Rachael's profile

Aron Cook

Lecturer

I am a Paramedic Science lecturer with a keen focus on Clinical Skills, Resuscitation and Trauma.

Aron's profile

Amy Halck

Senior Lecturer

I am a lecturer in Paramedic Science who trained and worked in South Africa for over 10 years before moving to the UK in 2021.

Amy's profile

Sarah Bateman

Lecturer

Colin Bishop

Lecturer

Sean Wheatley

Senior Lecturer

Fees

For the course starting on 23 September 2024 the tuition fees are:

Tuition fees for BSc (Hons)-Full-time
Study option UK / Channel Islands International
Full-time £9,250 per year of study £19,000 per year of study

UK and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

International students: Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course, as long as you complete it in the normal time-frame (i.e. no repeat years or breaks in study).

Immersive Skills Labs - Centre for Health Innovation

Immersive Skills Labs - Centre for Health Innovation

Video

Emily Browne introduces the Immersive labs in our Centre for Health Innovation in Stafford that can create environments from roadside to emergency room to living room.

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Included in tuition fees
Included in the fees:

The school provide Occupational Health screening, DBS and a full uniform to all students. 

Not included in tuition fees
Not included in the fees:

There may be costs to the student associated with travelling to practice learning placements and occasional visits for training at other university campuses and external facilities such as ‘Safeside at Eastside’.

Some students may choose to take an elective placement outside of our standard Practice Learning Placement circuit. Where this is the case, the costs associated with travel, accommodation, insurance etc will be the responsibility of individual students.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS ONLY

International Students, like all others, should be aware of the additional costs they will incur of travelling to their Practice Learning Placements (which constitutes fifty per cent of the course over three years). This is in addition to the costs associated with studying away from home such as accommodation.

Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Sources of financial support

If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by reading our additional funding web pages, or visiting www.gov.uk

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Our students

What we can simulate is coming into the ambulance, bringing a patient to a ward-based environment. We can also do simulations with the nursing students and midwifery, so we can do a handover to them in an A&E environment. We can do outdoor simulations as well to get used to environments and put on the pressure and get us thinking in those more kind of difficult environments.

Bridie Benson

Student

When you see something you've done, it’s like ‘Wow, I've made a difference’. You can tell you've made a difference, and you can see someone improve and it really, really make you feel good.

Thomas Rafter

Paramedic Science Student

Apply

Location Award Study option Start date Apply Link
Centre for Health Innovation Stafford BSc (Hons) Full-time 23 September 2024 Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at Staffordshire University, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of Staffordshire University enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

Information from discover uni

in the UK for Quality Education

Sustainable Development Goal 4, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2023

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Facilities

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

for Social Inclusion

The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

Four Star Rating

QS Star Ratings 2021