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BSc (Hons) - Practice Development: Paramedic (top-up)

As a paramedic, it is important your skills are of the highest calibre to ensure a top level of service to patients.

Our BSc (Hons) Paramedic: Practice Development programme has been designed with local ambulance services to meet the educational needs of paramedics looking to continue their professional development. You will benefit from a flexible approach to learning that fits around your work shifts, allowing you to study through distance and work-based learning.

We have provided excellent training for paramedics since 2000, and our subject specialists have extensive experience in distance learning. You will leave with the knowledge and skills to move forward in your career, reaching senior levels of employment. So if you have got the ambition, we have the facilities and resources to help you achieve it.

There is a mandatory requirement that a minimum of 40 credits per academic year is studied unless a formal break from study or programme leader agreement exists.

Practice Development: Paramedic (top-up) cover image

Course Overview

Our flexible, modular programme of study provides a coherent scheme and progression route within paramedic practice, recognising and valuing prior experience and learning, and building on it.

The programme will provide you with the opportunity to develop intellectual, analytical, and problem solving skills which encourage the development of mature and independent decision making and reasoned clinical judgement within emergency and urgent care. You'll develop conceptual knowledge and practical understanding of how techniques of scientific enquiry enable the critical analysis, interpretation and application of contemporary evidence within pre-hospital and emergency care. Develop graduate key attributes within the lifelong learning context.

We'll facilitate your development as a leader and change agent, able to respond to a dynamic environments and contemporary issues in practice, and provide a learning experience which promotes a collaborative approach within learning and practice, and effective multi-agency working with the patient at the centre of care.

On this course you will...

Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
Course LocationDistance Learning
Online
Institute Institute of Health
Mode of DeliveryDistance learning, blended learning
Course Duration Part-time: 2-4 Years
Course Start PointJanuary
April
September
AwardBSc (Hons)
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysAll

Minimum entry requirements

120 Level 4 and 120 Level 5 credits or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) portfolio.

UK Tuition fees

£5,850

Entry in 2025/26 Academic Year

UK/EU £975 per 20 credit module. Subsequent year fee is subject to inflation

£6,150

Entry in 2026/27 Academic Year

UK/EU £1025 per 20 credit module. Subsequent year fee is subject to inflation

International Tuition fees

£9780

Entry in 2025/26 Academic Year

Overseas £1630 per 20 credit module. Subsequent year fee is subject to inflation.

£10,260

Entry in 2026/27 Academic Year

Overseas £1630 per 20 credit module. Subsequent year fee is subject to inflation.

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

Modules

Core

Evidence Based Practice - 20 credits
Students choose one
- Negotiated Learning - 20 credits
- Dissertation - 40 credits

Optional

Clinical Decision Making - 20 credits

Clinical Reasoning and Assessment Skills in Healthcare (CRASH) - 20 credits

Emergency Care of Women and Children - 20 credits

Consultation and Physical Examination: Health Assessment Skills - 20 credits

Advancing Mental Health Across The Healthcare Spectrum (Intermediate Level) - 20 credits

Pathophysiology and Diseases in Practice - 20 credits

Medicines- Therapeutics and Pharmacology - 20 credits

Care of Minor Illness and Minor Injuries - 20 credits

Management of Major Illness and Major Trauma - 20 credits

Acute and Critical Care: Foundations for Practice - 20 credits

Acute Care: Contemporary Issues Independent Study - 20 credits

Patient Safety in Acute and Critical Care - 20 credits

Disaster Response - 20 credits

Humanitarian Action - 20 credits

Multiprofessional Support of Learning and Assessment in Practice - 20 credits

Clinical Supervision - 20 credits

Leadership and Change - 20 credits

Work Based Learning - 20 credits

Developing Practice/ Contemporary Practice Supporting & Assessing
Students in Healthcare Settings (Mentorship) - 20 credits

ECGs in Clinical Practice - 20 credits

Managing Self and Others - 20 credits

Pain: Assessment and Management - 20 credits

Negotiated Learning - 20 credits

Negotiated Learning - 10 credits

Pathway modules

Critical care Pathway

Core Assessment and Monitoring of the Critically Ill Adult
Explore applied pathophysiology, assessment and monitoring of the critically ill adult and associated pharmacology, recovery from critical illness and support of patient and their families.
Critical Care: Contemporary Issues
Develop your theoretical knowledge and skills, following on from the completion of your Step 2 to Step 3 competencies to assess, manage and care for the complex critically ill adult. There are a number of specialist learning pathways available.
Work based learning module
The work based learning module supports the completion of your Step competencies in practice and underpinned by the theoretical content of the other two modules. This module runs for 2 semesters.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

You will learn through multiple methods of teaching, experiences, and the use of available resources to support independent learning. Within your workplace you will require a Practice supervisor (mentor) and a practice assessor to support application of theory to practice and sign off your agreed competencies to support the end assessment.

Each pathway is delivered slightly differently. Any sessions delivered will be recorded to enable students to access these sessions at an alternative time.

The Acute Care pathway is delivered predominantly online asynchronously, using activities and feedback to develop your knowledge, and understanding of the acutely ill patient. There are with some synchronised sessions to support a learning community and interaction with your peers.

The Critical Care Pathway is delivered online to support the geographical location of students, with occasional face to face teaching. Predominantly there are synchronised (live) sessions, using technology within Blackboard (a virtual learning platform), providing opportunity for keynote lectures with discussion and time for questions, group work, live discussion, and interaction with other students from similar critical care environments. Creating a shared learning environment and community.

Each pathway has a comprehensive reading list and resources available to the student to promote their learning experience. There will be an expectation of the students to participate in the activities providing peer feedback as requested to enhance the shared learning model. The delivery of the course content is by experienced lectures with extensive experience in acute and critical care environments.

How you will be assessed

The process of assessment is clear and transparent across both pathways, using rubric marking grids to support the student in understanding the distribution of their grades. The process is moderated by secondary marking and external examiner review, before being processed and confirmed by the University Assessment Board.

To support progression to summative assessment all students will have opportunity for a formative assessment, unmarked but supported with comprehensive feedback from the module lead and at times peer feedback as part of this process of development towards assessment. Submission dates are clear and marked as per university regulations time frame.

The Acute Care pathway uses multiple methods of assessment, including interactive poster presentations and written assignments, based on agreed learning contracts which are specific to their optional module choice.

The Critical Care Pathway builds on the essential presentation and oral communication skills required for health care staff working in critical care environments. The Oral poster presentation is used in the initial modules, enabling the student to develop these skills and improve their grade going forwards.

The Completion of the Step 2 & 3 competencies as directed by the National Framework for Nurse Education in Critical Care is an essential element of assessment in practice for this pathway. Supported by a short written reflective account of their progression and development during the completion of their competencies.

Overview

120 Level 4 and 120 Level 5 credits or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) portfolio.

Qualifications

Entry Requirements

Other experience: 120 Level 4 and 120 Level 5 credits or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) portfolio.

Selection Criteria

Applicants who do not hold 120 level 5 credits, but who demonstrate at interview and through submission of a portfolio of evidence, an equivalent level of knowledge gained through relevant work based qualifications and / or experience, may be allowed entry to the programme. This decision will be at the discretion of the programme leader and does not constitute the award of credit via APEL.
To access this course you must be a qualified paramedic, registered with the Health Care and Professions Council or an equivalent and presently working in an emergency ambulance service or similar accident and emergency/first contact health care practice environment or appropriate setting. You will need to provide a statement from your current employer who must make reference to your professional competence.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. The University of Cumbria will make offers to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 – you can check your postcode here) and care leavers, offers will be made at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. (T&Cs apply)

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK Tuition fees

£5,850
Entry in 2025/26 Academic Year

£6,150
Entry in 2026/27 Academic Year

International Tuition fees

£9780
Entry in 2025/26 Academic Year

£10,260
Entry in 2026/27 Academic Year

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

Funding

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

Stationery, printing and digital storage

Approximately £30 to £40 per year

RequiredPer yearStationery

You should budget for stationery and consumables for personal use. These may include notebooks, pens and pencils, digital storage devices, printing and photocopying. The amount you spend will depend on your study preferences.

Books and journals

Approximately £50 to £300 over the course of your studies

OptionalThroughout the courseBooks and journals

Most core textbooks and journals are available through the University library. You may choose to purchase personal copies of books or other resources used to support your studies.

Some courses recommend particular books or provide an estimated annual budget for purchasing personal copies. Search for your course below for details.

Technology requirements

Cost depends on the equipment and internet service you choose

RequiredThroughout the courseDigital learning and IT

You will need regular access to a laptop or computer capable of accessing the internet and running software such as a word processor and Microsoft Teams. Microsoft 365 is provided as part of your studies. You will also need a reliable internet connection. The amount you spend will depend on the equipment and internet service you choose.

Information on borrowing university laptops

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Location
Distance Learning
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Location
Online Learning
Online learning at the University of Cumbria is an interactive experience that makes use of a range of technologies and media types to provide a rich learning environment.
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BSc (Hons) - Practice Development: Paramedic (top-up)