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Paramedic Science at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

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2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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This course is not accepting applications for deferred entry.

University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

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 method

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

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
B900
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.

International applicants

This course is available to UK applicants only.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Additional entry requirements

Admission tests

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Applicants must pass Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting the course.

Health checks

Applicants must pass Occupational Health check before starting the course. The Department of Health requires all new Exposure Prone Procedures (EPP) workers, including students, are tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The consent, test and managed process of results will be carried out by our Occupational Health Department.

Interview

All shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview in support of their application. If successful, applicants will be required to declare if they have been subject to any disciplinary procedures of fitness to practice by any other regulator, professional body, employer or educational establishment.

Other

Applicants must be 18 or over when the course starts. Applicants with a full, category B (car) driving license should have no more than three penalty points.

Health Professions Admissions Test (HPAT)

Applicants will be required to take an admissions test.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)7English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 7.0 with no component score below 6.5.
PTE Academic68An overall score of 68 with a minimum of 61 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)100100 with a minimum of 24 in Reading, 23 in Listening, 25 in Speaking and 24 in Writing
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 185 with no component score less than 176.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 185 with no component score less than 176.
Trinity ISETrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
95%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
95%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
Channel Islands £9250 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation. For more information about fees, go to: https://www.port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Paramedic Science at University of Portsmouth - UCAS