• Postgraduate

Paramedic Science (Pre Registration) MSc

Overview

Overview

Are you ready for a new challenge and thinking of becoming a paramedic? Our exciting MSc Paramedic Science masters degree will give you the relevant knowledge, skills and clinical expertise to deliver safe and effective treatment to patients in the pre-hospital and out-of-hospital environment.

We have partnered with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, the busiest emergency ambulance service in the UK, to deliver this degree course.

As a paramedic student, you are now eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, including a training grant of £5000. You may also qualify for additional financial support. Read the eligibility criteria and find out how to apply for the fund at www.healthcareers.nhs.uk. The funding will not need to be repaid. Eligible students can also continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.

The course has been designed for those with a healthcare profession undergraduate degree, or another degree alongside considerable experience in a healthcare setting, who wish to become a paramedic in two years. 

This masters in paramedic science will enable you to become a registered practitioner with knowledge, skills and clinical expertise to deliver safe, effective and appropriate treatment to service users with urgent, emergency, and unscheduled healthcare requirements.

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We support flexible study by offering some of our courses part-time or via distance learning. To give you real world experience before you graduate, we also offer some courses with a placement or internship. All available options are listed here. Your choices may affect some details of your course, such as the duration and cost per year. Please re-check the details on this page if you change your selection.

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Paramedic Science (Pre Registration) with us?

Why study Paramedic Science (Pre Registration) with us?

What our students say…

UWL has helped shape my perspective, self-discipline and aspirations for the future.” 

Ulric Quee
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Students can hone their skills in a life-size ambulance simulator
This course has simulation centres in London and Reading
Infographic with the text, 'In partnership with the London Ambulance Service'
statistic announcing this course has been ranked 23rd overall in the UK by the Guardian University Guide
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

Paramedics are Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulated Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), who provide unscheduled care to people who have an urgent or emergency healthcare need out of the hospital environment.

They assess, treat, manage, discharge and/or where appropriate refer service users across the lifespan, with almost any injury or illness (encompassing acute, chronic, and/or specialist services).

This course will enable you to become a self-sufficient registered practitioner who has the knowledge, skills and clinical expertise to deliver safe, effective and appropriate treatment to service users with urgent, emergency, and unscheduled healthcare requirements. This includes management at the scene or in-hospital of critically ill and injured patients.

On successful completion of this postgraduate Paramedic Science degree, you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a paramedic.

Placements

Practice-based learning is a compulsory component and is integrated across the two years of your course. You will not receive payment for this. You will travel to practice-based learning settings at your own expense and this is an additional cost to the course fee. You will also be responsible for arranging and paying for any accommodation or insurance related to travel to practice-based learning settings. Practice placements are located in London and the outskirts, you should be prepared to travel significant distances to some placement areas.

The structure, duration and range of practice-based learning settings will support your achievement of the course learning outcomes and the Standards of Proficiency – Paramedics (2014).

Placements  will be with both the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and in a number of wider healthcare settings such as:

  • residential care homes, ward areas, hospices
  • GP surgeries
  • operating theatres and intensive care/high dependency units
  • mental health environments
  • maternity and children’s services.

Placements with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust will be based in the North West London sector, which includes five training stations (Brent, Hillingdon, Hanwell, Fulham and Westminster) and ambulance bases at Ruislip, Pinner, Wembley, St John’s Wood, North Kensington, Chiswick, Isleworth, Feltham, Heathrow and Hayes.

Placements will follow compulsory clinical shift patterns and will include unsociable hours including days, nights, weekends and bank holidays.

In ambulance placements you will be supervised by a Practice Educator or PEd. In healthcare placements you will be supervised by a mentor.

You will undertake the following number of practice hours across the 2 years:

  • 1,080 hours of ambulance placement (13 weeks in year 1 and 14 weeks in year 2)
  • 320 hours of healthcare placements (4 weeks per year)
  • 80 hours of Non-Emergency Transport Services (NETS) (2 weeks in year 1)
  • 4 weeks of preparation for practice (2 weeks per year).

Total = 1,640 hours

Teaching, learning and assessment

A wide range of approaches to teaching and learning will be utilised during the MSc Paramedic Science, recognising your prior experience:

  • technology enhanced learning
  • lectures and seminars
  • simulated learning
  • forum theatre
  • service user and carer involvement
  • social media
  • inter-Professional learning
  • practice-based learning
  • critical reflection
  • critical analysis and synthesis of evidence.
Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring people with a disability are provided with equal access to their chosen course of study and facilities at the University of West London. Appropriate support can be provided to remove barriers faced in education because of a person’s disability. This is support is called “reasonable adjustments”. 

We strongly encourage applicants to disclose their disability and discuss support requirements at the earliest opportunity by contacting our Wellbeing Team: online via the Student Hub or by email - wellbeing@uwl.ac.uk alternatively telephone 020 8231 2739. Early disclosure enables the University time to consider the individual support requirements that you may have and to identify whether reasonable adjustments can be made to help you with your studies prior to the start of the course. Some reasonable adjustments may not be possible in a placement setting due to professional standards and core competencies of the role so it is imperative these are considered prior to starting the course. 

It is important to understand that successful progression on this course is dependent on professional standards being met. By disclosing to the University, where reasonable adjustments can be made, the University will provide you with the support you need to meet these standards. See standards of proficiency for allied health professionals to explore the standards appropriate to your chosen course.

Assessment

The module assessments have been designed to enable you to demonstrate the learning outcomes for each module and cumulatively the overall MSc Paramedic Science learning outcomes (meeting the requirements of the HCPC Standards of Proficiency - Paramedics, 2014). They will enable you to demonstrate you are consistently competent and capable of the role, both academically and in real-life complex and dynamic service environments.

They will be spread across the two years providing frequent opportunities for you to receive feedback and feedforward:

  • Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE’s)
  • MCQ and short answer exams
  • reflective logs
  • essays
  • rapid systematic review and improvement plan
  • presentations
  • practice assessment document.

Compulsory modules

  • Applied Paramedic Science 1

    This module aims to provide you with the knowledge, skills and professional attributes required to communicate, clinically assess and initiate the treatment and management of people with an injury or health problem related to a new or existing condition.

    The module will include a comprehensive foundation of scientific and professional knowledge to underpin communication and technical clinical skills.

     

  • Evaluating Evidence for Translation in Paramedic Practice

    This module aims to provide you with an understanding of evidence-based healthcare as applied to pre-hospital / out of hospital care and treatment, together with the knowledge and skills to assess the quality of evidence and its translation to everyday practice and service delivery.

  • Population Health and Behavioural Science for Paramedic Practice

    This module aims to provide you with knowledge and skills to recognise the impact of the psycho-social and economic determinants of health on populations and individuals and contribute to improvement in health outcomes, through multi-agency working and the use of behavioural interventions in patient contacts.

    This includes an understanding of the health system interfaces, which impact on ambulance service response and deployment.

  • Paramedic Practice Year 1

    This module will enable you to meet the outcomes of the following components of the Practice Assessment Document (PAD):

    • PAD 2 - Elements of Practice - Year 1 requirements
    • PAD 3 - Year 1 Placement Outcomes
    • PAD 5 - Healthcare Placements (as relevant to allocated placement areas)
    • PAD 6 - Skills Passport - Year 1 requirements.

Compulsory modules

  • Applied Paramedic Science 2

    This module aims to build on ‘Applied Paramedic Science 1’ and your practice placement experience.

    It will equip you with the knowledge, skills and attributes to understand simple multi-casualty situations and undertake dynamic risk assessment and evidence-based decision making to treat patients with time-critical acute or chronic injury or illness, using pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

  • Managing Safety and Complexity in Paramedic Care Delivery

    This module aims to explore the role of the paramedic in out-of-hospital services response to complex and major incidents. It will provide the student with the knowledge, leadership, and clinical skills to understand their role within national guidance and deliver protocols and requirements during special response incidents and at the end of life.

  • Improving Paramedic Practice and Service Delivery (Dissertation)

    This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills to synthesise evidence and create a case for a paramedic practice/ service improvement, to enhance patient safety and experience.

     

  • Paramedic Practice Year 2

    This module will enable you to meet the HCPC Standards of Proficiency – Paramedics (2014), via meeting the outcomes of the following components of the Practice Assessment Document (PAD):

    • PAD 2 - Elements of Practice - Year 2 requirements
    • PAD 4 - Year 2 Placement Outcomes
    • PAD 5 - Healthcare Placements (as relevant to allocated placement areas)
    • PAD 6 - Skills Passport - Year 2 requirements.

     

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

You will need an undergraduate degree (class 2:2 or above) in one of the following:

  • a healthcare profession, for example: nursing, midwifery or an allied health profession
  • biological sciences, with experience of direct patient contact (equivalent to 6 months full-time) in an employed or voluntary role, for example: nursing associate, healthcare assistant or care worker
  • non-biological sciences or healthcare degrees, with at least two-years’ experience in a registrant or non-registrant clinical role providing quasi-autonomous out-of-hospital urgent and emergency unscheduled care. For example: NHS emergency medical technician, associate ambulance practitioner or ambulance nurse.

In addition to the above, you will also need:

  • GCSE English language and maths grade 9 – 4 / A* - C or equivalent (Functional Skills Level 2 in English and maths)
  • to hold a full manual UK driving license (ideally with provisional C1 entitlement on application), with no history of a serious driving offence or more than 3 points
  • to be classified as a Home (UK) student prior to starting the course.

A NMC or HCPC registered healthcare professional with conditions of practice will not be eligible to apply for this course.

Driving licence*

You must have a full manual UK driving licence (ideally with provisional C1 entitlement on application), with no history of a serious driving offence or more than three points. Applicants without C1 entitlement on application must achieve this by the end of the first year of the course in order to be eligible for employment with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

*Driving per se is not a requirement for eligibility to register with the HCPC as a paramedic, however driving and the stipulations identified above are a requirement for employment with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and other UK ambulance services in clinical roles.

References

You will be asked to provide a satisfactory reference, from a referee who has known you for at least three years, along with your application form. The referee cannot be a family friend or relative. It can be an employer or the academic institution at which you are currently studying.

Occupational Health and DBS

All offers are subject to satisfactory:

  • enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check - you must declare warnings, cautions, convictions and bind overs issued by the police and also any pending charges, as well as any interviews concerning protection of vulnerable adults or children that may have occurred. Criminal convictions do not necessarily prevent acceptance on to the course, but some may be regarded by the employer or professional body (HCPC) as excluding you from practice. Where you have any criminal convictions, cautions and/or bind overs, your application will be considered by the DBS panel within the College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare (you will not be required to attend) and a decision will be made regarding your entry to the course. You should be aware that any criminal conviction for driving may affect future employment.
  • A NMC or HCPC registered healthcare professional with conditions of practice will not be eligible to apply for this course.
  • occupational health clearance - you must complete an on-line health questionnaire and comply with the Department of Health guidelines on screening and immunisations to protect both you and service users during your course. As a paramedic student you will be required to undergo additional checks. The Department of Health requires all new Exposure Prone Procedures (EPP) workers, including students are tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The consent, test and managed process of results will also be carried out by our Occupational Health Provider.
  • you will also be required to pass a physical assessment undertaken by our occupational health provider, prior to commencing your first ambulance placement with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS).

Find out more about the occupational health clearance requirements, tests and immunisations. (pdf, 723kb)

Selection Process

If you have the qualifications for this course you will attend an individual values-based interview with an academic, clinical staff from the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, and a service user / carer.

Fees & funding

Fees & funding

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The fee includes the cost of:

  • your uniform 
  • your occupational health and enhanced DBS checks.

 

The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

As a paramedic student, you are eligible to apply for the NHS Learning Support Fund, including a training grant of £5000. You may also qualify for additional financial support. Read the eligibility criteria and find out how to apply for the fund on the Health Careers site.

In addition, you will be able to continue to access the postgraduate masters loan (as per eligibility criteria). You can find details of this announcement on the Gov.uk website.

On commencement of the course we provide two months free membership, at our brand new sports and fitness centre, to help you prepare for the fitness assessment, prior to starting your first practice placement.

Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as disabled students or those with dependants.

This course is not eligible to access the postgraduate pre-registration nursing, midwifery and AHP loans from the Student Loans Company. As such you will not be able to claim back costs associated with travel to placement/accommodation related to placement.

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries, including awards for specific subjects.

Awards for nursing, midwifery and healthcare students are also on offer.

Teaching staff

Teaching staff

Neil Larman

Neil Larman

I’m at UWL part-time on secondment from the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS). My other role is Advanced Paramedic in Urgent Care, which involves not only 999 emergency response work, but also time in GP surgeries and Urgent Care Centres. However, I also work as an Incident Response Officer and as part of the Practice Education Teaching Team at LAS. Previously I spent seven years as the LAS Link Tutor to several University partners and was the Trusts Practice Education Facilitator. My three children are all grown up, so more time for my other role a Higher Education Visitor for our Professional body, the College of Paramedics.

I’m at UWL part-time on secondment from the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS). My other role is Advanced Paramedic in Urgent Care, which involves not only 999 emergency response work, but also time in GP surgeries and Urgent Care Centres. However, I also work as an Incident Response Officer and as part of the Practice Education Teaching Team at LAS. Previously I spent seven years as the LAS Link Tutor to several University partners and was the Trusts Practice Education Facilitator. My three children are all grown up, so more time for my other role a Higher Education Visitor for our Professional body, the College of Paramedics.

Study & career progression

Study & career progression

Qualified Paramdics, male and female

Successful completion of this course allows you to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for registration as a qualified paramedic. Once qualified and HPCP registered you can apply for a job in an NHS Ambulance Trust, where the majority of Paramedics work.

You could also go on to work in*:

  • GP surgeries
  • walk-in centres
  • minor injury units
  • helicopter emergency services
  • oil rigs
  • research units.

*Some of these roles will require additional training/qualifications

Starting this course classes as a conditional offer of employment with the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. If you successfully meet all of the conditions, the offer will become unconditional when you complete the course, if you choose to accept it.

 
How to apply

How to apply

Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.

**The National Student Survey 2022 and 2023 - Based on an average of all 27 questions. Excludes specialist institutions.

Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.

Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.

Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.

Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.