BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science - more information

Student placements

Across all three years of the BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science course you will spend time developing your skills, knowledge, experience and confidence, in various practice settings. Placements are both rewarding and demanding, being arranged to facilitate the best use of clinical practice time, balanced against the demands of the academic elements of the programme. 

The course is designed to enable you to practise safely, confidently and competently in a variety of relevant clinical settings. In order to do this, you will experience a range of placements in different areas over each academic year, with support from by both your personal tutor and practice educators. Frontline ambulance placements can involve working on both ambulances and rapid response vehicles, whilst placements in the acute hospital and pre-hospital setting will include a range of areas to support the biopsychosocial model of health and social care.

Professional accreditation

On successful completion of the course, you are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Please note: In order to successfully complete your course and be eligible to apply for a professional registration you must complete a specified number of practice placement hours along with your theoretical study. This is a requirement of the HCPC. Therefore you will only be able to take personal holidays during the specified leave periods for your course. This includes induction week where it is vital you attend ALL sessions.

Fitness

The paramedic role can be a physically demanding one and a minimum level of fitness/strength is likely expected by recruiting ambulance services. To complete the BSc Paramedic Science course a specified level of fitness is not a requirement. However, an inability to lift weighted manikins safely during formative assessments may affect your ability to contribute fully when on placement and may impact on your employability with NHS ambulance services. The programme team would advise that you ensure above average levels of fitness/strength prior to beginning the programme at the University of Plymouth.

Driving

Driving capability (and a progression of emergency driving skills) is not a component covered by the course as it is not a pre-requisite for HCPC registration. However it is acknowledged that for some employers, such as NHS Ambulance Service Trusts, the ability to meet emergency driving competencies are highly desirable. If you wish to be employed in an organisation which requires those competencies, you will need to ensure that you are able to meet the criteria for gaining the C1 driving category for attachment to your full UK driving license. This would also include undertaking medical clearance. Further information may be found at: Directgov - Driving License Categories.