Paramedic Science - Integrated Masters (MSci) drafted

Program Overview

Course overview

Develop the resilience, attitude, and competencies required to work at the frontline of healthcare. The role of contemporary paramedics is challenging and evolving, with an expectation that paramedics will deliver high-quality care in a variety of health and social care environments and organisations. You will be based in the School of Medicine, which embraces a multidisciplinary approach to education.

Advance your career in Paramedicine

Paramedic Science with Integrated Masters at Keele combines a bachelor’s degree with a fourth year of study at master’s level where you will undertake advanced level modules. This additional year gives you the expertise for future career opportunities that could take you beyond working in the ambulance service, such as careers in leadership, management or research. The course aligns to the four pillars of advanced paramedic practice – clinical, leadership, education and research. Each pillar is associated with an array of future employment opportunities.

Lifesaving clinical skills

The course focuses on developing your lifesaving skills and clinical interventions in a range of locations. 50% of your time will be spent undertaking placements within the ambulance service and other settings, to develop your professional paramedic practice. You are expected to engage with the full range of shifts to reflect the demands of the 24/7 service.

Course structure

Year one explores the fundamental elements of paramedicine to enable you to gain the core competencies around patient assessment, drug administration, interventions, cardiac arrest management and life sciences such as anatomy and physiology. You will also focus on how to protect your own health and wellbeing as paramedic.

In your second year you are introduced to evidence-based practice and will explore areas of medicine including pharmacology and pathophysiology. Year three focuses on how research informs paramedic practice and concentrates on key areas such as the care of children, the elderly and pregnant women. In the final year there are opportunities for enhanced practice to prepare you to work in a critical care environment and learn to diagnose and undertake minor injury assessment in a range of settings including emergency, urgent and primary care. You will acquire specialist clinical skills, start to explore the role of prescribing in paramedic practice and expand your research, leadership and educator abilities in preparation for an exciting career as a paramedic practitioner.

Clinical Simulation

Throughout the course you will build your confidence and competencies as a paramedic and you will be encouraged to reflect on your professional practice through dedicated hours of clinical simulation. Learning to reflect and critique your practice helps to improve your decision making and clinical reasoning techniques.

A range of different clinical scenarios are presented with simulated patients in a controlled and supportive environment. We also deliver multi-professional trauma days and major incident scenarios as part of the course and you will use specialist resources including; a fully equipped training ambulance, clinical skills lab, Keele's anatomy and surgical training centre and high-fidelity simulation in our health and crime houses.

Interprofessional Education

Interprofessional education enables you to study with students from other health related subjects such as medicine, nursing, radiography, social work, and physiotherapy. This allows you to learn with your current peer group in conditions that reflect your future employment environment. Developing your multidisciplinary working and problem-solving capabilities are essential attributes of modern paramedics.

Strengthening your employability

Placements

50% of your time during your studies will be spent completing high quality placements across the West Midlands region. These are co-designed with our key stakeholder, the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust. Placement opportunities will provide you with the broadest range of experiences within acute, primary and community settings such as the ambulance service, emergency departments, hospitals, walk-in-centres, mental health, general practice, maternity, community, and critical care.

Year one placements are solely within the ambulance service, enabling you to become confident and familiar with the core working environment of a paramedic. In years two and three you will continue undertaking placements within the ambulance service and within other clinical settings such as hospital wards, general practice, maternity, walk-in centres, community and critical care so you can learn in greater depth.

In your final year, in addition to the ambulance service you will benefit from opportunities to work in a critical care setting and in the 111 and emergency operations centre. Elective placements provide the opportunity to apply for placements in the UK or internationally.

Throughout each placement opportunity you will complete a Practice Assessment Document to map the achievement of clinical skills required to manage patients within the clinical setting in which you are working in.

Our expertise

Experienced paramedic lecturers and clinicians teach on this programme along with additional high quality staff who have a range of medical expertise. Many of our staff are active in bioscience and health research, which informs our teaching and keeps the course relevant to the needs of the 21st century health system.

Student Support

You will benefit from excellent student support throughout the duration of your Paramedic Science Integrated Masters programme. An academic mentor is allocated to you at the start of the course, who will provide advice and guidance throughout the course.

Our Faculty Student Experience and Support team offer support and advice and give one-to-one support to students within the School of Medicine.

There is peer support, and additional help is available from the School's Disability Liaison Officer who provides an additional layer of support for all students, particularly for those who have special learning needs.

You can also access plenty of student advice and support services at Keele including;

Program Outline

Modules

Your future career

95% of our students are in employment or further study within 15 months of finishing their studies (HESA Graduate Outcomes, 2019/20)

The additional clinical knowledge and competencies gained on the Paramedic Science Integrated Masters include enhanced assessment skills, leadership qualities and robust evidence-based practice. This supports rapid career development and can lead to exciting career opportunities in emergency, urgent and primary care.

Upon graduation you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council as a registered Paramedic. Our programme utilises a rotational model as detailed by the Health Education England Rotating Paramedic Programme (2018) , so you can engage with a wide range of practice to support improvement of patient experience and provide a range of career opportunities upon qualification.

The majority of graduates will work within a variety of settings within the NHS. On successful completion of the programme, you will have studied to an advanced practice level, however, to develop your future career you may be required to undertake further study and continuing professional development.

You may also be required to develop experience in your area of practice to further enhance your opportunities. Career prospects for you upon graduation from this programme may include:

Clinical Practice:

*The clinician must typically have 3 years post qualification experience before being eligible to progress into advanced practice roles and to study Independent & Supplementary Prescribing for Allied Health Professionals (plus additional entry criteria).

Leadership and Management:

Research and Development*:

*Extensive research experience will be required before being eligible for progression into higher roles.

Education*:

*Postgraduate teaching qualifications and extensive experience will be required before being eligible for progression into higher roles.

Enhance your employability

Keele’s Careers and Employability team (Shortlisted for Best University Careers Employment Service - National Undergraduate Employability Awards, 2021), offers a variety of personal and career development opportunities to enhance your employability.

From mock interviews, careers guidance and CV advice, to careers fairs, and networking events, along with helping you find part-time and graduate employment - the team will support you throughout your studies and beyond.

Find out more about our careers and employability services, including career planning, alumni mentoring, jobs, internships, starting your own business and much more.

Teaching, learning and assessment

We use different learning and teaching methods on the Paramedic Science Integrated Master’s depending on the subject matter and module level. Teaching takes place in both the university and clinical environments. Integrating the theory you have learnt on the course with learning from placement settings helps you consolidate your knowledge and apply it practically to your clinical practice.

In your programme you will sometimes be expected to role play and engage in simulated clinical scenarios with other students, such as the practice and observation of practical skills in physical contact with other students. For some specific practices, this may necessitate modification of dress - e.g., to shorts and t-shirt.  These activities will be conducted in a professional, safe,  respectful and culturally sensitive way, under the supervision of academic staff, according to a defined protocol.

Parts of the programme including paramedic practical skills are taught in small groups. In practice settings you will work with designated practice educators and a range of healthcare professionals as well as being assisted by visiting tutors from the School.

Theoretical elements of this course are taught using: