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Why choose the School of Society, Community and Health


Our Paramedic Science courses rank 6th in the UK in their subject field (Guardian, 2024).

Our health studies courses rank 1st in their subject table for graduation prospects – outcomes (Complete University Guide, 2024).

Each year you undertake 750 hours of placement learning, spending around 50% of your time in supervised supported practice.

About the course

This dynamic course develops your clinical knowledge and confidence, equipping you with the skills needed for emergency and unscheduled care while ensuring you meet the requirements of the modern ambulance service and expanding paramedic role. With a high employment rate, the course takes you from novice to expert over three years of study, using a blended approach to learning so theory clearly meets practice. It also builds your clinical reasoning, critical thinking and leadership skills.

Find out if you are eligible for £5,000 a year NHS learning support funding.

Course accreditation

The course is recognised by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). On successful completion of your course, you will be eligible to register as a paramedic.

Facilities and specialist equipment

  • Two clinical-training ambulances
  • Fully immersive simulation area including:
    • assisted living space
    • industrial space with scaffolding
    • hoarder’s room
    • nightclub area
    • social deprivation room (drug den)
    • standard lounge
    • cluttered bedroom

Industry links

The course has been developed in partnership with the East of England Ambulance Service, an NHS Trust serving six million people over 7,500 square miles.

Student experience

Our Paramedic Science courses rank 1st in their subject area for ‘value added’ progression - how students’ entry qualifications compare with their degree results (Guardian, 2024).

Gain simulated and real-life supervised experience of the situations you will attend as a qualified paramedic

Complete 750 hours of placement learning a year, spending around 50% of your time in supervised supported practice so you experience the full 24-hour working pattern and learn to work as part of the wider healthcare team.

Cross-sector placements take in a range of settings such as ambulance control; GP surgeries; charities for the homeless; hospice; or hospital.

Explore service improvement with your final-year research project and present your findings at an annual conference.

Our course groups are small so you are able to build supportive relationships with other students and your academic team

Our Bedford campus itself is a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well.

with Professional Practice Year

This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.

There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.

*Only available to UK/EU students.

with Foundation Year

A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.

Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.

With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.

The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.

This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.

Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?

  • Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
  • Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
  • Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
  • Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees

The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.

During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.

 

Course Leader - Rob Cawston

I have a Foundation Degree in Paramedic Science, and additionally a background as a graduate at Level 6 and above, including an Honours Degree in Applied Chemistry and Post Graduate Certificate in Education. I am familiar with blended learning as my Foundation Degree was completed as a work based, distance learning degree with the Open University combined with work-based learning within the Private Sector and the NHS. I have used this good effect during my time at the University of Bedfordshire.

What will you study?


Studying our Paramedic Science BSc (Hons) course will equip you with the in-depth knowledge, competencies and clinical skills to become an autonomous paramedic practitioner. In introductory areas of study, you will be introduced to key aspects of paramedic practice focused on developing your assessment and diagnostic skills alongside your professional practice in our Fundamental Skills of Paramedic Science unit. Paired with our unit in Health Science for Paramedic Practice, you will explore knowledge of anatomy, physiology and biopsychosocial theories related to health and wellbeing to understand the factors that affect patient health. One essential skill you will need to save lives as a paramedic is through administering drugs and medication. In an Introduction to Applied Pharmacology for Paramedic Science, you will examine the principles of pharmacology and learn to safely administer medicines according to professional standards and legislation. Aside from the theoretical knowledge covered in your first year, you will also be supported in establishing your professional practice in our Professional Values and Relationships unit. Here, you will be introduced to the professional values in paramedic practice and how this can influence your working relationships with patients and colleagues.

In your second year, you will move on to discover more advanced skills in the paramedic sciences such as the Assessment & Management of Urgent and Emergency Care Across the Lifespan. This unit will train you to assess and manage urgent and emergency conditions using the emergency paramedic skills with the assessment and management of chronic disease or injury. In more specialised areas, you will also be introduced to Obstetric and Neonatal Care for Paramedics that will build your knowledge and skills in antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal assessment to practice care for newborn babies and their mothers. Similarly, you will be trained to conduct paediatric assessment, refer to appropriate care and treat infants and children in emergency situations in our Emergency Care of Paediatrics for Paramedics while developing the positive attitudes and professionalism towards emergency paediatric care.

Furthermore, you will also consider the mental health needs of your patients in emergency situations in our Mental Health Care for Paramedics unit. This will allow you to provide person-centred and holistic care for people accessing mental health services while developing your ability to communicate effectively with other health and emergency services to support patients. In addition, Trauma Management in Paramedic Practice will equip you with the knowledge and skills to assess and manage care for patients across non-critical, critical and complex situations that may escalate or involve a high degree of risk. You will continue to develop your professional skills in Leadership and Team Working for Paramedic Practice that will introduce you to tools, strategies and scenarios to develop your leadership abilities and promote effective teamwork.

As you build on your paramedic skills in your final year, The Critically Unwell Person will teach you to assess, manage and stabilise care for patients with critical and life-threatening conditions. On the opposite end, you will be equipped with the skills to manage people with Minor Illnesses and Injuries. This is just as important as treating more serious conditions, as you will facilitate the early detection of symptoms to prevent worsening disease or injury. In some cases, your reassurance to a patient with relatively mild symptoms will help to relieve their anxieties and therefore their experience of injury or illness. With a critical approach, you will analyse and suggest improvements to practice in an effort to enhance quality through working on a project in our Quality and Safety in Paramedic Practice unit. To prepare you for your career, Transition to Professional Practice for Paramedics will support you to make the transition from a student to a registered paramedic practitioner by preparing you for employment with a CV or practicing interview techniques.

How will you be assessed?


The course assessment strategy is closely aligned to the teaching and learning strategy which is designed to have: immediate relevance to practice; draw on expertise-by-experience; foster active learning and be learner-centred in approach. A distinct feature of the course is the range of assessment tasks, including those that allow you to undertake workplace relevant assessments that can have an immediate impact in practice. Examples include:

  • written assignments ranging from reflective pieces to academic essays culminating in a service improvement project;
  • assessed practice within your placements;
  • computer based examinations;
  • oral presentations

In most of the units, we have appropriately revised the threshold statements and the learning outcomes to be met by the proposed assessments. In some units, we also amended/corrected both the formative and summative assessments as needed to improve learning, performance as well as increase flexibility. The overall approach to these assessments would create a reduction of over-assessment, combining more innovative opportunities for students to use different skills and develop wider digital literacy while maintaining the standards of research and subject enquiry, with a view to providing students with different learning needs a variety of ways to receive support through general assessment reduction, formative feedback, and time to apply feedback into their work. Similarly, the use of professional and theoretical literature will increase in complexity, depth and breadth as you progress through the course.

In the first year, you will be expected to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the evidence-based literature and apply this to practice. In contrast, the second year will demand deeper analysis and evaluation of the literature and its applications. For example, you will develop your ability to study and practice more independently. You will be expected to identify a subject that particularly interests you based upon the NHS values, and propose a service improvement project supported by appropriate literature.

Assessments of clinical skills will begin with observation of your participation in caring for patients/service users during practice. Expectations of the levels of skill demonstrated by you will increase over time and by the final assessments you will be expected to manage more complex and challenging encounters in a non-judgemental, empathic manner in accordance with NHS values.

Careers


As a graduate of this course you will be able to work as the lead clinician in the ambulance service. Upon gaining experience, you could diversify into areas such as Hazardous Areas Response Teams (HART); specialist urgent-care paramedics; advanced critical-care paramedics; management roles; or one of the new roles now being offered to paramedics, in other areas of the NHS and in the community as first-contact practitioners or advanced-care practitioners, with independent prescribing.

Entry Requirements

120 UCAS tariff points including 112 from at least 3 A-levels or equivalent
    GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 Maths
    GCSE grade 4/Functional Skills Level 2 English
An A-level science subject, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, is preferable
    Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required

Fees for this course

UK

The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance

Excellence Scholarships

Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*

» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**

» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available

* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.

 

International

The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.

There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.

A full list of scholarships can be found here.

Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk

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