For many health and social care roles, university degrees are seen as an incredibly popular entry qualification for registered careers such as paramedic science. University degree courses provide aspiring healthcare professionals with a mix of academic learning and practical skills that create a solid foundation which they can build on with practical experience.
Learn moreOne pathway into paramedic science is through a university degree. Although there are now often different entry routes into health and social care careers such as paramedics, they can be still seen as the traditional way into the profession. Paramedic science degrees are available throughout the country at different institutions, meaning that there are plenty to choose from. Almost all are a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or BMid degree, and they will all provide you with a core foundation that’ll get your career off to a successful start.
Paramedic science degrees are run in many universities, and undergraduate degrees will typically take three years to complete if studied full-time. As part-time courses have fewer contact hours per week (the time spent learning with academic staff), the course will be spread out longer, taking around five to six years to complete.
Paramedic science is a challenging career - so it’s no surprise that a degree isn’t easy, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of support on offer. Like many health and social care courses, a paramedic science degree has both academic and practical aspects to it.
The academic element of the university degree will involve typical aspects of any course - you may write reports and essays, attend lectures and seminars, and take part in research projects.
The practical aspect of the course focuses on providing you with clinical experience. During this, you’ll spend time observing qualified paramedics assisting patients in real life and in classroom simulations, and you’ll work alongside them to put the skills and knowledge you’ve learned into practice.
Paramedics are a registered profession within health and social care. This means that in order to practise, you will have to have obtained a degree qualification although there are different ways to do this. Not only will paramedic science degrees provide the necessary qualification to progress in this career, but it will provide you with an opportunity to make a significant difference to the lives of many patients.