Paramedic Science with Integrated Master's

Paramedic Science - Integrated Masters (MSci)

This four-year integrated masters is at the forefront of paramedic science education in the UK. It prepares you for a career in fast-paced emergency, urgent, primary and community-based care settings.

Year of entry

2024 - for 2024 entry see here - for 2023 entry see here

Course type

Single Honours

Location

Keele University campus Hospital campus

Subject area / School

School of Medicine

UCAS code

B950

Duration of study

4 years

Enquire about this course Clearing vacancies and entry requirements 2023 Book an open day Chat to students

Why study Paramedic Science at Keele University?

Endorsed by the College of Paramedics and Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council

Eligible students can apply for the £5,000 NHS grant

Innovative integrated master’s course designed to help advance your career

Facilities include a state-of-the-art anatomy and surgical training centre, emergency training ambulance and simulation houses

Rotational clinical placement circuits in a range of practice areas

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;

Learning Support and Academic Guidance
Disability Services
English Language Unit
Advice and Support at Keele SU (ASK)
Student Support Services
Occupational Health Department

Next Steps

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Professional Recognition

Paramedic Science at Keele is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and endorsed by the College of Paramedics. Successful completion of the course provides you with the eligibility to register with the Health and Care Professions Council as a registered paramedic.

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Additional opportunities

Foundation year Explore more

There are a range of additional opportunities available when studying this course.
Please note, undertaking one may impact upon the availability of another.

Entry requirements

Keele strives to be a place where learning, living and working is a positive experience for our entire community, and we're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity to all our applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. That's why we operate a range of 'alternative offer' schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying within the Keele region, and recognising a range of additional qualifications in your offer. If you are looking for the 2023 schemes please see here.

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the likely offer or range of offers which would be made to candidates along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.

Students must be 18 years old when they commence the course, or by 1 October of the first Semester.

Health checks and DBS Clearance
Offers are subject to Occupational Health clearances and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance.The University follows the DBS Code of Practice in these issues and can provide a copy of the Code on request.

Interview
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview.

If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Preparation programmes for international students

International students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for this course have the opportunity to study an International Foundation Year programme.

These courses are designed to prepare international students to enter into Keele University undergraduate degrees.

Next Steps

Entry requirements

The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don’t see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications. If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Typical offer

Please ensure that you read the full entry requirements by selecting your qualifications from the dropdown menu below. This will include any subject specific, GCSE/Level 2 Maths, and English Language requirements you may need.

A Level: ABB Subject specifics apply

BTEC: DDM Subject specifics apply

T Level: Distinction Subject specifics apply

Please select your qualification from the drop-down list below for the full entry requirement information