First students on unique degree enter final year

The first cohort of students studying a unique Paramedic degree, developed to meet the diverse needs of the changing NHS workforce, have entered the final year of their programme.

Teesside University’s BSc (Hons) Paramedic Practice degree was developed by stakeholders such as NHS employers, current practitioners and their professional body, the College of Paramedics, to provide a professional qualification for undergraduates who will be able to meet the changing needs of the NHS workforce and pursue their career as paramedics in organisations across the NHS.

The degree is unique as, unlike similar courses, it is an entry-level qualification for students who do not necessarily have any prior experience of paramedic work. It has been developed to provide for the future needs of the profession and graduates will be eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council, the professional regulator for paramedics.

Teesside University’s School of Health & Social Care has equipped classrooms with state-of-the-art equipment, including a fully equipped ambulance, to ensure that the 50 students per year who study the degree have all the skills and knowledge they need to begin a career as a paramedic.

The degree, which welcomed its first cohort of students in January 2014, was developed to reflect a growing desire within the profession for a more academic approach and wider skills base in non-traditional areas such as GP surgeries and emergency departments, as well ambulances, to provide a wider base for paramedic education and an expanding career pathway.

The three year degree takes a holistic approach to paramedic education rather than simply focusing on trauma and critical emergencies which was the focus of traditional in-house ambulance training.

It looks at the many different skills paramedics are expected to master in the 21st century in order to cater for the needs of the patient and become true community paramedics.

Students spend time on placements in GP surgeries and hospitals as well as ambulances to learn the core skills of how to assess, manage, treat and refer patients.

They also learn how to make decisions such as whether a patient can remain at home or be sent to hospital or referred to another healthcare professional in the community to continue their care at home.

Programme Leader Mark Nevins said: 'We’ve worked closely with the regulatory body and wider professional partners to develop a degree which will prepare paramedics who are fit for the future needs of the profession.

'Skills training is, naturally, very important and trauma training still plays a key role but with more care being required to be delivered at home and the increased demands on Emergency Departments our students are getting the broadest based experience to meet those challenges ahead.

'However, with this degree we also wanted to look at the theory of being a paramedic and explore professional issues such as care and compassion and putting the service users first.'

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