Paramedic Science BSc (Hons) at University of Bedfordshire

The role of a paramedic is vital, rewarding, and expanding – with increasing emphasis on clinical decision-making skills – offering you an ideal career if you thrive under pressure and want a varied role in medical care.

This innovative course, developed in partnership with the East of England Ambulance Service, will develop your clinical knowledge and confidence in simulated situations.

Spend around 50% of your time in supervised, supported practice, enabling you to experience the full 24-hour working pattern.

Your final year research project will enable you to progress to employment as a professional paramedic with a strong research base and potential for professional development.

The course is recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council and leads to eligibility to register, on completion, as a registered paramedic.

Why choose this course?

• Learn to work as part of the wider healthcare team in the modern pre-hospital world through simulation and supported practice, and develop your leadership skills
• Study a course which is at the cutting edge of paramedic science, developed in partnership with a Trust serving 6 million people over 7,500 square miles
• Develop clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills
• Gain simulated and real-life supervised experience of the situations you will attend as a qualified paramedic
• Explore service improvement with your final year research project, and present your findings at an annual conference
• Benefit from a course which enables progression into a profession offering a varied and rewarding career

The course goes beyond the vision of paramedics of old, focusing purely on emergency life threatening problems. This new dynamic course sets to tackle the requirements of the modern ambulance service and paramedic role. The course aims to equip you with skills in emergency care as well as unscheduled care. 

The basic course design will take you from novice to expert over the course of three years of study.  This will be completed using a blended approach to learning ensuring that theory clearly meets with practical learning and each year you will be expected to undertake 750 hours of placement learning.

On completion of the course you will be able to consider both work in the ambulance service but also differing roles now being offered to paramedics both in the community and other areas of the NHS.

How will this course enhance my career prospects?

The challenge in paramedic practice is now going beyond the basic skills of the registered paramedic. The College of Paramedics has clearly identified a progression pathway into advanced roles. 

Through the basic knowledge gained whilst studying at the University of Bedfordshire you will be prepared to move on to more advanced topics and education within your career development.

Several advanced paramedic roles are being developed and require transition of the knowledge gained at BSc level to be transferred and enhanced to take on further skills and knowledge of a higher order. The roles being developed are around critical care and supporting the sickest patients to ensure they get to the best hospital to support their ongoing care. This requires further assessment and clinical skills e.g. ultrasound.

Through being a paramedic you are continually learning. The BSc course is designed to keep your interest in learning and development, provide you, both with the desire to further develop and to provide the best care at all times to your patients.