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Paramedic Science

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B-B,B,B

120-128 points to include a single Science subject at grade C.

122-128 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma (Health or Pure Science based), to include a minimum of 21 level 3 credits in Science subjects at merit or above.

Cambridge Pre-U score of 50-54, to include a Principal Subject in a single Science subject at M3.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English and Mathematics at grade C or above, or equivalent/GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 or above, or equivalent.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

25

25 points from the IB Diploma, with 5 points from a Higher Level in a single Science subject.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H3,H3,H3,H3,H3-H2,H2,H3,H3,H3


To include a Higher Level in a single Science subject at H3.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM

Must be in a Science or Health Science subject with a Human Biology, Anatomy or Physiology element. Public Services not accepted.

120-128 Tariff points to include a single Science or Social Science subject at grade D.

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.

T Level

M

Acceptable T Level Subjects: T Level in Health (Acceptable Occupational Specialisms: Supporting the mental health team, Supporting the adult nursing team, Supporting the care of children and young people), T Level in Healthcare Science (Acceptable Occupational Specialisms: Assisting with healthcare science), T Level in Science (Acceptable Occupational Specialisms: Laboratory sciences, Metrology sciences)

UCAS Tariff

120-128

120-128 points to include 32 points from an A level in a single Science subject, or equivalent.

120-128 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate to include 32 points from an A level in a single Science subject, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Paramedic science

**Overview**
Paramedics are vital to the health, safety and wellbeing of the nation.

If you’re ready to work at the frontline of the NHS, this BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science degree will prepare you for life as a registered paramedic.

**Approved by:**
This course is approved by the Health & Care Professions Council.

**Course highlights**
- Practise your skills on medical manikins and simulated patients safely and under expert supervision in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, one of the country’s leading healthcare teaching environments

- Gain more than 1,500 hours of practical experience on placement with real paramedic teams and in clinical settings, including community medicine, emergency departments, minor injuries units, maternity and critical care

- Get expert support from a personal mentor within the Ambulance Service

- Receive an induction, full uniform and PPE (personal protective equipment) from the NHS Trust you're assigned to

- Become eligible to register as a paramedic with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) when you graduate

**Careers and opportunities**
A career as a paramedic is fast-paced and demanding, but also incredibly rewarding. As ambulance call-outs continue to rise, paramedics are needed in ambulance trusts nationwide – there were 783,050 incidents in June 2021, 80,000 more than in the same month two years ago.

On this Paramedic Science degree, you’ll master the complexities of acute pre-hospital care, and learn to assess patients and treat patients using life-saving equipment safely and effectively. At the end of the course, you'll be eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for professional registration as a qualified paramedic in the public or private sector.

As a paramedic in the NHS in 2021, you'd begin your career on a Band 5 salary of £25,655 to £31,534, before moving up to Band 6 after two years in your role, which ranges from £32,306 to £39,027. With more experience you could progress to become a consultant paramedic, making up to £75,874 (Band 8c).

Once you graduate, you’ll also be prepared for jobs in clinical settings like telephone triage services, helicopter emergency medical services, with ambulance trusts, or in special operations response.

**Where could you work as a paramedic?**
Many graduates work in ambulance trusts – recent graduates have gone on to work for organisations including:

South Central Ambulance Service
London Ambulance Service
South Western Ambulance Service Trust
East of England Ambulance Service
Welsh Ambulance Service
North East Ambulance Service

To prepare you for your career as a paramedic, you'll get at least 1,500 hours of experience on work placements in paramedic teams and other clinical settings.

**Ambulance placements**
Each year, you'll complete an ambulance placement, working 37.5 hours a week (which includes 7.5 hours a week study time).

You'll be allocated a clinical mentor from the Ambulance Service and you'll work with a clinical team that consists of a team leader, paramedics, specialist paramedics, ambulance technicians, associate ambulance practitioners, emergency care assistants and other student paramedics.

You'll work alongside and be supervised by a paramedic on every shift and work in different ambulance stations across Hampshire or the Isle of Wight (depending on where you live during your studies).

**Clinical placements**
You'll also undertake the following clinical placements:

- Year 1 – a 1-week community placement in a setting such as a drugs and alcohol rehabilitation team or with a learning disabilities team

- Year 2 – a 2-week in-hospital placement, which allows you to experience various clinical departments such as maternity, emergency departments and coronary care units

- Year 3 – a 3-day placement in a setting such as an ambulance control centre or minor injuries unit

Modules

Year 1

Core modules in this year include:

Foundation of Evidence Based Practice (Paramedic) – 20 credits
Foundations of Paramedic Professional Practice – 40 credits
Fundamentals of Paramedic Practice – 20 credits
Science Informing Practice (Paramedic) – 40 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2

Core modules in this year include:

Acute Prehospital Care – 20 credits
Applied Paramedic Professional Practice – 40 credits
Engaging With Service Improvement (Paramedic) – 20 credits
Evidence Based Decision Making – 20 credits
Patient Assessment – 20 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 3

Core modules in this year include:

Assessment and Care of the Older Adult – 20 credits
Enhancing Paramedic Professional Practice – 40 credits
Pathology and Therapeutics for Paramedics – 20 credits
Project – 40 credits

There are no optional modules in this year.

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment methods

You’ll be assessed through tests (academic or practical/skills based), assignments, projects, academic written work/portfolios, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), presentations, dissertation/project.

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

The way you’re assessed may depend on the modules you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
- Year 1 students: 42% by written exams and 58% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 13% by practical exams and 87% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 10% by practical exams and 90% by coursework

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Portsmouth

Department:

Faculty of Science and Health

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

60%
Paramedic science

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Health sciences (non-specific)

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
71%
Staff are good at explaining things
69%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
88%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

81%
Library resources
96%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
38%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
27%
Male students
73%
Female students
87%
2:1 or above
20%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Health sciences (non-specific)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,200
high
Average annual salary
92%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

55%
Health professionals
9%
Natural and social science professionals
9%
Science, engineering and production technicians

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Health sciences (non-specific)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£29k

£29k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of East Anglia UEA | Norwich
Paramedic Science
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-153
Lower entry requirements
Glyndwr University, Wrexham | Wrexham
Paramedic Science
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here