Mr Andrew Webber

As a lecturer within Plymouth's paramedic science team, Andrew is primarily responsible for promoting high standards of learning for pre-registrant paramedic students. His role includes developing students' practical skills (eg. physical exam techniques and resuscitation), alongside fostering other important skills (eg. clinical decision making, critiquing and utilising evidence to improve practice). He is also responsible for developing registrant paramedics who choose to undertake post-registration study at Plymouth. 

Before joining the university in 2013, Andrew worked with the local NHS ambulance service. He began as an ambulance care assistant in 1999, qualified as an ambulance technician in 2002 and then as a paramedic in 2005. Whilst working in the NHS, Andrew completed a BSc(Hons) in emergency care, before undertaking an MSc in health & social care research. In 2018 Andrew adopted a part-time role with the university, which has enabled him to practise with a GP network in Plymouth for two days each week. During Andrew’s time in his primary care role, he has completed an MSc in advanced clinical practice and become an independent prescriber (for more on paramedic independent prescribing, visit the College of Paramedics' site).  When able, Andrew continues to practise in the NHS ambulance service as a paramedic. He also practises within the private sector, working on festival sites and sporting events such as horse racing and motorsports.

As recognised in Hampton's (2003) 'Guidelines - for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men' piece, not all patients 'fit' into guidelines. Andrew has a keen interest in using evidence, pragmatism and patient choice to support individual patient's unique situations.

Qualifications

Professional membership

Roles on external bodies

Teaching interests

Andrew's teaching interests include developing paramedic students' core knowledge (particularly of pathophysiology and pharmacotherapies), clinical examination skills (eg. assessment of core body systems using the traditional medical models) and cognitive skills (eg. clinical decision making, analysis of ECGs).  He is keen to support traditional lecture teaching with alternative learning approaches, including:

Research interests

Andrew's postgraduate research examined the use of naloxone for opioid overdose within one UK ambulance service. He remains interested in the areas of substance misuse and harm-reduction. His more recent areas of research interest include older people's care and palliative care.

Andrew acts as a research supervisor for students at Plymouth.  He has supervised several undergraduate projects, including:

• survey of students' preparedness to practise
• observational study comparing handling techniques to limit hip movement
• observational study examining inter-rater reliability of the FLACC pain score between student paramedics and student paediatric nurses
• cross-over trial comparing the efficacy of commercial and ad hoc tourniquets to arrest low limb circulation
• cross-over trial comparing the effect of patient gender on AED pad placement by untrained responders
• systematic review examining the efficacy of prehospital clopidogrel administration
• observational study examining test-retest reliability of tympanic thermometers
• focus group examining student paramedics preparedness for practice
• survey of students' responses to medication errors
• observational study examining the effect of rescuer body weight on the rate and depth of simulated chest compressions
  

He also supervises students planning and undertaking research in partial fulfilment of postgraduate awards at Plymouth. Research titles include:

• Helicopter versus ambulance transport of patients with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction: A retrospective comparison of call-to-balloon times
• How often do paramedics miss flail chests? An audit of one NHS ambulance service
• Can prehospital clinicians accurately identify patients with pelvic fractures? A retrospective analysis of clinical records within one HEMS group
  

For more on the School of Health Professions' postgraduate programmes for paramedics, visit:

• MSc Medicine in Hazardous Area Response

For more on the other University of Plymouth postgraduate programmes for advanced practice, visit:

• MSc Advanced Professional Practice pathways