Paramedic Science FAQs

The current academic requirements are 120 UCAS tariff points, which is around BBC at A Level and five GCSEs (at grade C/4 or above) including Maths and English. Other qualifications are considered and can be found on the course page.

In addition to the academic requirements, you should also be able to show evidence of customer facing or care experience. There is no timescale for this, as it is more about quality than quantity, however this should be highlighted within your application.

The selection process consists of a group task and an individual interview. In order to proceed to the interview, a pass is required in the group task. Feedback on your performance in the task will be provided should you not be invited for interview, and we encourage you to reapply in the future should you not receive an offer.

Teaching usually finishes around the end of May, but placements continue until early to mid-July. You will get scheduled holiday: two weeks at Christmas and Easter, and four to five weeks in the summer.

We aim to offer a range of assessments to ensure that everyone has the chance of excelling. Assessment types include written assignments, written exams, poster presentations, and practical assessments. The pass grade for most assessments is 40% (the university standard) but some can be higher, and some other assessments are graded purely as a pass or fail. You will be told what the assessment methods are for each module when you start them.

Enrolment usually takes place over the second weekend in September, where you will be required to attend City South Campus. This then leads into an induction week, and the course then starts a week later (usually around the third week of September) - keep a look out on our Welcome Week page for more updates closer to the time. 

Placements are within West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WMAS), care homes and hospital departments.

Your main placement throughout the three years will be with WMAS, and you could be placed anywhere within their catchment area. This includes Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Coventry, Birmingham and Black Country conurbation. Placement locations are usually within an hour’s drive from your term time address (although this is not guaranteed).

• Enhanced Disclosure: £54.40
• Standard Disclosure: £37.40
• Basic Disclosure: £39.40

You may wish to consider joining the DBS Update Service, full details can be found on here.

During your ambulance placements, you will be an additional person to the crew (supernumerary) and you will not be expected to form part of the crew. Your role will change and develop as you progress through the programme. Initially you will undertake basic skills, and then more complex skills as you develop. By the end of year three, you should be practising autonomously (although with supervision).

The length of a placement will vary from one to two days to six weeks depending on the year of study and the placement. For example in your first year, the control centre placement is a single day, and the care home placement is around two weeks.

You will be provided with all of the uniform you require for placements (including green tops and trousers, safety boots, hi-visibility jackets and a safety helmet). You can find out more about uniforms for placement and practical sessions here. 

Yes, we do offer opportunities to undertake a placement in a different country, which is usually around a month in length, through the Go Abroad Travel Scholarship. These placements usually take place during the summer break. Students have done this in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam.

You do not need to have a driving licence to join the course, however it is recommended to help you to travel easily to and from placements, as travel can be costly and difficult depending on your placement location and work hours. Placements often follow shift patterns that could mean you are working early or late, and sometimes at weekends.

We also recommend that you have the C1 provisional licence, as the eye test that stopped a few people from being able to drive an NHS ambulance. If you have concerns about this, please contact Karen Gubbins, BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science Admissions Tutor. Not being able to get the C1 does not mean you will not be able to undertake the course, but your employment opportunities could be affected.

We offer flexible parking at Broadway Plaza for all City South students, which is just an eight minute walk away from campus. When you park here, remember to put your car registration in to one of the pads on campus (located in reception or opposite the SU office) to redeem your student discount against the fare. Find out more about travelling to campus here. 

There is new funding available for Paramedic Science and other health related courses starting from September 2020, of at least £5,000, and up to £8,000 per year. Find out more information about the new funding here.

When you enrol you will receive £150 to spend in our online store to purchase stationery, books and learning materials that you may need. You will need to budget for your travel costs to and from Campus, and to your placements. You can also purchase additional uniform if needed (costs are generally between £10 and £25).

You may wish to join the Paramedic Society (in conjunction with the Students’ Union) which offers a range of CPD and social events for students. The costs are kept to a minimum, and membership is highly recommended.

We have a number of teaching and learning spaces that are designed to help you develop into a confident Paramedic Science Practitioner. These include our newly re-branded ambulance vehicle, interactive classrooms and SPACE (Skills Practice and Care Enhancement) room where you and other healthcare students can practice clinical skills using specifically designed equipment and manikins.