School of Nursing and Midwifery

BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care (Intercalated)

Experience an academic year working in emergency care and gain an intercalated degree at the same time with the BSc (Hons) in Urgent and Emergency Care. Learn skills that will enable you to work flexibly as a healthcare professional across traditional boundaries to meet the needs of the healthcare community, whilst developing as a competent and adaptive practitioner, with specialist and transferable skills.

You will explore opportunities to set up placements within your locality helping you with the cost of living and development of important relationships in settings where you may like to work in the future. You’ll experience working in genuinely challenging clinical environments. You will also get prepared to lead teams in the future with a specific module on management and leadership, and practice skills that will be essential as you progress to becoming a consultant.

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Delivered by professional experts, our programmes are tailored to you and your career. Together, we address today's most challenging healthcare issues, through research-informed teaching and active, real-world learning.

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Key features

  • Study with the only university to offer an intercalated degree in emergency care in the UK
  • Explore opportunities to set up placements within your locality helping you with the cost of living and development of important relationships in settings where you may like to work in the future
  • Experience working in genuinely challenging clinical environments; real-life experiences mean meaningful education
  • Get to grips with working and studying with a multi-professional team and all the insight that brings
  • Prepare to lead teams in the future with a specific module on management and leadership
  • Practice skills that will be essential as you progress to becoming a consultant
  • Deepen your research and audit knowledge, helping you to decide (with your emergency department mentor) what area of emergency care you will develop an audit in
  • Choose from a range of optional modules including paediatrics and mental health.

Course details

  • Course overview

  • This programme has a modular design and a flexible ‘blended learning’ approach to delivery. Successful completion of the third or fourth year of your primary medical degree normally means you are eligible to accredit prior learning up to 60 credits via Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning - please see the AP(E)L section of our website for further information on this process. You will therefore typically require just one of the optional modules (from the three available below) in addition to core modules UEC607 and UEC608 to achieve the BSc (Hons) in Urgent and Emergency Care. Please note: As a medical student intercalating, it is likely your prior learning will be accredited towards the ‘Understanding evidence to inform clinical decision making’ module HEAD360 (see APEL above).

    Core modules

    • HEAD360 Understanding Evidence to Inform Clinical Decision Making

      The module is designed to extend students' knowledge around evidence-informed decision making. This will be achieved through students identifying and evaluating a body of research-based evidence relevant to clinical practice.

    • UEC607 Urgent, Emergency and Critical Care: Leadership and Innovation

      This module will enhance the students' confidence and competence to lead and manage quality improvement and innovation in urgent, emergency and critical care.

    • UEC608 Evidencing Professional Development in Urgent, Emergency and Critical Care via (e)-Portfolio

      This module will enable the student to develop their professional practice in the provision of urgent, emergency and critical care. Evidence supporting the students' development will be collated in an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio).

    Optional modules

    • UEC603 Mental Health Assessment in Urgent, Emergency and Acute Care

      This module aims to increase knowledge and skills of practitioners working in urgent, emergency and acute care settings and who work with individuals experiencing mental health problems. It explores the principles and process of mental health assessment and the practice of determining appropriate intervention alongside prioritisation of client need based on the current guidance.

    • UEC604 The Child or Young Person Requiring Urgent or Emergency Care

      This module will facilitate the development of practitioners¿ knowledge and skills in the recognition and immediate management of children/young people requiring urgent or emergency care for illness/injury in a range of settings by increasing their ability to apply current research/evidence to practice and deliver holistic care to sick children and their families.

    • UEC605 Developing Expertise in Clinical Practice

      This module is designed to enable healthcare professionals to critically examine and develop in an area of professional clinical practice, in a range of settings. Taught workshops will guide the student, building on their pre-existing body of knowledge to further develop their skills in health assessment, clinical examination and clinical reasoning

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BSc Hons Urgent and Emergency Care 4976

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

Entry requirements

Given the nature of the placement element, the fact that you will be working in an emergency department environment, and the point of academic entry into the course we are only able to take medical students who have successfully completed their third or fourth year.

The opportunity to intercalate is open to any medical student supported by their medical school - you must have written permission to intercalate from your medical school and show evidence via transcript that you have completed clinical skills and research to the level normally expected of a fourth year undergraduate medical student. If you want to find out more about the opportunity to pursue a BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care course at the University of Plymouth please email the Professional Development Unit at pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk.


Extended entry requirements

Fees, costs and funding

The UK is no longer part of the European Union. EU applicants should refer to our Brexit information to understand the implications.

The Home fee for 2021 entry is £9,250. 

The International fee for 2021 entry is £14,200. 

Please contact the Professional Development Unit for further information.

Telephone: +44 (0) 1752 586951 

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

How to apply

2021 applicants

The application window for 2021 is now closed.

For any other queries relating to this course or our recruitment cycle please contact the Professional Development Unit:

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 1752 586951

2021 applicants

The application window for 2021 is now closed.

For any other queries relating to this course or our recruitment cycle please contact the Professional Development Unit:

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle building
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 1752 586951

UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) removal of educational achievements for 2023 entry


We are aware that the UKFPO has released a statement to inform medical schools that they will be removing certain educational achievements – including intercalated degree awards – from the UKFPO application score for 2023 entry.

The value of our intercalated programmes in Urgent and Emergency Care and Critical Care extends far beyond creating a 'points-based advantage' for foundation year one applicants. As one of our clinical intercalated students, you will experience one academic year embedded in clinical practice, actively contributing to patient care with the support of a consultant mentor. 

In addition to this, you will receive specialist instruction and inter-professional learning in topics such as quality improvement, leadership and non-technical skills. We firmly believe that graduates from our programmes are well-prepared to care for patients and function as effective doctors during their foundation years and beyond. 

Please find more details in this letter to our potential students.

BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care – professional development pathway

We also offer registered healthcare professionals working in an urgent and/or emergency care setting the chance to study this programme on a full or part-time basis.

Find out more about the professional development pathway

Placement information

 In 2021, we expect to offer a range of student placements across the UK, including some of the biggest and most dynamic NHS Trusts. 

Explore opportunities to set up placements within your locality helping you with the cost of living and development of important relationships in settings where you may like to work in the future.

Experience working in genuinely challenging clinical environments; real-life experiences mean meaningful education.

Candidates are given the opportunity to select their placement preferences following interview.

Please note that available placements may change, and the map is for illustrative purposes only.

Please note that available placements may change, and the map is for illustrative purposes only.

Want to find out more?

Hear about current student experiences and find out about the application process, placement tips and much more.

@UrgEmergUK

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University of Plymouth intercalation

It’s a unique course – there’s isn't anything like it anywhere else in the UK. You’re in the clinical environment most of the time, normally five days a week.

Student insights

Studying a BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency care was the best intercalation decision I could have made and I have already seen the positive effect it has had on my practise in week one of year five!
Read more of our student insights

Modules

You will be required to undertake the following core modules and one of the optional modules (from the three listed below) as part of the intercalated programme:

Core modules

UEC607 - Urgent, emergency and critical care: leadership and innovation

UEC608 - Evidencing professional development in urgent, emergency and critical care via (e)-portfolio 

Optional modules

UEC603 - Mental health assessment in urgent, emergency and acute Care

UEC604 - The child or young person requiring urgent or emergency care 

UEC605 - Developing expertise in clinical practice

To make up the remaining 60 credits of the course, APEL can be applied in recognition of experience and skills you have already gained as part of your medical degree. Please contact the Professional Development Unit for further information.