Paramedic Science BSc (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 120 - 128 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): B945
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: 3 years
- Study Mode(s): Full-time
- Campus: Clifton Campus
Introduction:
Today’s Paramedic is a highly skilled healthcare practitioner, who provides high quality urgent or emergency care to patients in a wide range of exciting, fast-paced and challenging environments. The Paramedic profession is at the forefront of the developing modern NHS, with paramedics extending their role in to an increasing range of new and exciting areas.
Upon successful completion of this 3-year BSc (Honours) Programme, you'll be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Paramedic.
What you’ll study
This course aims to provide a full-time, three-year route to achieving the BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science by combining all the components required paramedic registration in this unified programme of study.
120 credits will be completed at each level (4, 5 and 6).
- Foundations of Paramedic Practice (40 Credits)
- Human Life Science (20 Credits)
- Personal and Professional Identity (20 Credits)
- Biopsychosocial Basis of Disease (20 Credits)
- Legal & Ethical Practice in Care (20 Credits)
- Developing Paramedic Practice (40 Credits)
- Pharmacology in Practice (20 Credits)
- Research and Evidence Based Practice (20 Credits)
- Public Health & Wellbeing (20 Credits)
- Paediatric and obstetric practice (20 Credits)
- Enhancing Paramedic Practice (20 Credits)
- Preparation for Professional Practice (20 Credits)
- Speciality Practice (20 Credits)
- Managing Complexity in Practice (20 Credits)
- Dissertation (40 Credits)
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
Take a look around the HAP Centre
How you’re taught
Delivery mode
Your learning will include a blend of face to face tuition in university, alongside blended and independent learning activities to support your learning. You will also spend a significant amount of time on placement, predominantly with your practice educator within the ambulance service but also in a range of additional placements that will compliment your experience.
Placement
Practice placement is a compulsory component of the course to enable you to develop the necessary competences required for registration and practice as a registered Paramedic. You will not be paid for this time and travel expenses are not refunded as part of the course.
You will spend most of you time on placement working with your dedicated Practice Educator who will guide and develop your skills and knowledge. You will follow compulsory clinical shift patterns of your practice educator and this will include unsociable hours including days, nights, weekends and bank holidays.
You will be expected to complete approximately 1,500 hours over the 3 years.
Assessment
Assessment methods on the course include but are not limited to:
- OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations) - Practical demonstrations of skills in a simulated environment
- Practice Educators observations of competency in practice
- An E-portfolio (PebblePad)
- Case studies
- Reflective accounts
- Presentations
- Academic posters
- Essays
- Multiple-choice and short-answer question exams.
- Simulated Multi-disciplinary meetings
- Moot Court case
Careers and employability
After graduating from this undergraduate degree in Paramedic Science, you'll be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. Your career prospects in this field are excellent because of the current high demand for registered paramedics in urgent and emergency care settings, locally, nationally and internationally.
Following the completion of your Newly Qualified Paramedic (NQP) programme in addition to the traditional roles of the Ambulance paramedic there are many other roles available to you as your experience grows.
These include but are not limited to:
- Advanced Paramedic (AP)/ Specialist paramedic (SP) Specialising in Emergency Department, Prehospital or Primary care
- Critical care paramedic (CCP)
- Hazardous area response teams (HART)
- Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
- Helicopter / Search and rescue
- Wilderness / Remote medical support
- Telephone triage /111 call advisors
- Event medics
- Primary care paramedic (GP or Community)
- Emergent or Urgent care (Hospital)
- Mental Health Specialist
Further details are available from the College of Paramedics.
Campus and facilities
The purpose-built Health & Allied Professions (HAP) Centre is home to our world-class teaching, practice, research and scholarship in the Institute of Health and Allied Professions (IHAP).
Facilities
As a paramedic student you will have easy access to the fantastic facilities in the newly refurbished Clinical skills centre in the Lionel Robbins building and other facilities at Clifton campus, including:
- clinical skills areas
- lecturer theatres and teaching classrooms
- open access PC's and secure wireless points
- study areas and social spaces
- Pavilion cafe,
- The Point Student Union
IT resources
Our IT resource rooms, Laptop loan stations and PC clusters are distributed across the Clifton Campus, with PCs providing access to:
- Microsoft Office
- web browsing
- networked file storage
- high-speed online printing services
Book and Library resources
In our library you will have access to an extensive and diverse range of books and periodicals that focus on specialist areas within Paramedicine. The library's OneSearch system provides access to all our:
- electronic resources
- journals
- books
We have a liaison librarian who is available to give you detailed help in finding and using print and electronic resources. They can also help you with things such as Harvard referencing and research skills.
Entry requirements
What are we looking for?
- Standard offer: 128 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications, two of which must be A-Level equivalent including a health, science or social science subject.
- Contextual offer: 120 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications, two of which must be A-Level equivalent including a health, science or social science subject.
- GCSE English, Maths and Science grade C/4
You will also need to:
- be at least 18 years of age at the start of the course. This is the minimum age requirement set by our placement providers. If you will be under 18 at the start of the course, your application may be declined, or you may be offered the opportunity to defer your application until next year
- undertake an interview with a lecturer and practitioner or service user,
- complete an enhanced-level Disclosure and Barring Service check
- provide a satisfactory health declaration
- confirm the ability to use a range of IT facilities including email, internet, and word processing.
- provide evidence of vaccination against Hep B, or undergo a vaccination programme, before any placements can be undertaken.
Personal Statement
In addition to the entry requirements listed above, you will need to submit a personal statement demonstrating:
- an understanding of the role of a Paramedic and current issues in Paramedicine
- any evidence of health-related work (Paid or voluntary)
- How your personal values align to the NHS Core values
Contextual offers
A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
What are we looking for?
- 128 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications, two of which must be A-Level equivalent including a health, science or social science subject.
- GCSE English, Maths and Science grade C/4
Please note: We are unable to accept applications from individuals on a Student Route visa. Due to the mandatory teaching and placement requirements of this course, we are also unable to accept applications from individuals with a Tier 2 Skilled Worker Visa.
You will also need to:
- be at least 18 years of age at the start of the course. This is the minimum age requirement set by our placement providers. If you will be under 18 at the start of the course, your application may be declined, or you may be offered the opportunity to defer your application until next year
- undertake an interview with a lecturer and practitioner or service user,
- complete an enhanced-level Disclosure and Barring Service check
- provide a satisfactory health declaration
- confirm the ability to use a range of IT facilities including email, internet, and word processing.
- provide evidence of vaccination against Hep B, or undergo a vaccination programme, before any placements can be undertaken.
Personal Statement
In addition to the entry requirements listed above, you will need to submit a personal statement demonstrating:
- an understanding of the role of a Paramedic and current issues in Paramedicine
- any evidence of health-related work (Paid or voluntary)
- How your personal values align to the NHS Core values
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5. Please note that the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) require IELTS 7.0 with no element below 6.5 for registration.
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Students are recommended to purchase essential equipment for placement, including:
- Pen torch
- Stethoscope
- Scissors/sheers
Prices vary dependant on supplier, and we recommend the purchase of a quality stethoscope for longevity of use.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Funding your studies
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there's no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
There are numerous sources of funding available for postgraduate students, both from external sources such as the Government and funding bodies, and from the University.
There are two main costs involved with postgraduate study: the cost of your tuition fees which is paid directly to the University, and living expenses such as accommodation, travel and food.
Please take a look at our postgraduate fees and funding page for information about sourcing grants, bursaries and scholarships, and much more.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
| Study route | International |
|---|---|
| Full-time | £16,500 |
Fees may be subject to change.
* Please note that if you are considering a part-time route that runs over more than one year, the tuition fee stated is for Year One of study. The course fee for Year Two is subject to annual review.
Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.
Living costs
Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:
Paying fees
Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Students are recommended to purchase essential equipment for placement, including:
- Pen torch
- Stethoscope
- Scissors/sheers
Prices vary dependant on supplier, and we recommend the purchase of a quality stethoscope for longevity of use.
How to apply
Writing your application and personal statement
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
All applicants welcome
We welcome applications from prospective students with a range of qualifications and experience, and all are assessed on an individual basis. Mature applicants who do not meet the standard entry criteria can still be considered providing they have relevant experience to compliment any qualifications. All applicants will need to apply through UCAS.
Keeping up-to-date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
Please read our notes on the University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.
This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.
We accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please visit our international qualifications page.