School of Nursing and Midwifery

BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care (Intercalated)

Institution code NA
Duration

1 year
Course type

Full-time
Study location Plymouth

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.

First choice for health

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. #firstchoiceforhealth

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

    UEC608
    Evidencing Professional Development in Urgent, Emergency and Critical Care via (e)-Portfolio 20 credits

    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).

    100% Coursework

    HEAD360IC
    Understanding Evidence to Inform Clinical Decision Making 20 credits

    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.

    UEC607DL
    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.

    Optional modules

    UEC604
    The Child or Young Person Requiring Urgent or Emergency Care 20 credits

    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.

    UEC610
    Developing Expertise in Urgent & Emergency Care 20 credits

    This module is designed to enable healthcare professionals to critically examine and develop in an area of professional clinical practice, in Urgent and Emergency Care. 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.

    UEC611
    Mental Health Assessment in Urgent, Emergency and Acute Care 20 credits

    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 issues. 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.

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

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

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.
Please refer to our person specification .
Extended entry requirements

Fees, costs and funding
2024-2025 2025-2026 *
Home £9,250 £9,535
International £18,100 £18,650
Part time (Home) N/A N/A
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per a number of credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

*UK Government announcement on tuition fees

Following an announcement in November, the government has confirmed its intention to increase undergraduate tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year.

Subject to final Parliamentary approval (expected in early March 2025), the tuition fee for UK students is increasing to a maximum of £9,535 from 1 August 2025. This change applies to current and new students at the University of Plymouth. The Student Loans Company (SLC) has confirmed loans for tuition fees will be increased accordingly.

Please contact the Professional Development Unit for further information.
Telephone: +44 1752 586951
Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Additional costs

This course is delivered by the Faculty of Health and more details of any additional costs associated with the faculty's courses are listed on the following page: Faculty of Health additional costs .

How to apply
Applications for September 2025 are now closed.

Placement information

In 2024, 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.
ical - map
Please note that available placements may change, and the map is for illustrative purposes only.

Programme modules

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

Optional modules

You are required to take one of these optional modules

Livewell Southwest North Community Mental Health Team
UEC604 hero image - provisional
Physician associates clinical skills

Are you a registered healthcare professional working in a critical care setting? You can study this programme on a full or part-time basis.

 

Student insight

Hear about student experiences and find out about the application process, placement tips and much more.
Watch students talk about why they decided to intercalate at Plymouth.

“You won't have a better intercalated year!”

Max Sugarman, BSc (Hons) Urgent and Emergency Care (Intercalated) graduate

I intercalated to get an opportunity to gain hands on experience in emergency medicine and build my CV. Plymouth was a great location and setting and I had a fantastic year full of opportunities to gain both clinical experience and make some great friends from the course. You won’t have a better intercalated year! The highlights for me were to get involved in quality improvement and become part of a great ED team. I've gained plenty of experience, built better clinical knowledge and had great opportunities along the way. A years worth of invaluable experience. There isn’t a working day where you don’t use the skills gained.

Max is currently a FY2 at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. 
Max
 
Healthcare Management, Leadership and Innovation