undergraduate
paramedic
overview
Paramedics have a track record in providing flexible and innovative ways of delivering extended clinical care.
They are an autonomous practitioner who has the knowledge, skills and clinical expertise to assess, treat, diagnose, supply and administer medicines, manage, discharge and refer patients in a range of urgent, emergency, critical or out of hospital settings.
Structure
The main purpose behind this one week placement is to provide students an experience of general practice to help with their studies.
Each day should vary and students’ should be offered the chance to work collaboratively with other medical, non-medical and allied health professionals, observing their clinics and assisting where possible.
Paramedic placements are flexible in how they are delivered and both the student and practice should plan an effective learning week.
An initial meeting with the student at the start of the week would be useful to discuss the aims and learning outcomes from the placement.
This is a chance for the student to learn more about general practice; whilst it is also a chance for the practice to learn more about the benefits of paramedics in general practice.
supervision & assessment
Due to the short and observational nature of paramedic placements, the supervision and assessment of these students is minimal.
The paramedic can be assigned to any clinician, they will take responsibility of signing off their paper-based worksheet. The worksheet simply ensures that placement has been attended and is not complicated..
length of placement
Placements are for one week only and are staggered throughout the academic year.
You can take up-t0 3 paramedics at a time over a 3 week period – meaning students would attend back-to-back. You would only ever have one paramedic at a time; unless you chose otherwise.
Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs)
The College of Paramedics is the professional body for the paramedic profession in the UK.
Universities are the statutory bodies responsible for delivering and awarding higher education qualifications.
The regulatory body is the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which regulates all AHPs including paramedics.