Paramedic Science placements

In Year 1, placements take place in trimester 3 (typically May-August).

Your allocated Paramedic Educator will support, mentor and coach you, as well as undertaking your formal assessments during this time.

This placement will be with either East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust or London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

You'll work with paramedics, emergency medical technicians, emergency care assistants, emergency care practitioners, doctors, nurses, carers, social workers and others. It's a great way to understand more about the paramedic's role, and how a wider team can work together to support patient care.

You'll have the chance to experience a variety of patient scenarios, and learn:

• How to undertake base line observations and understand what they mean in relation to the patient's symptoms: you will consider normal parameters including respiratory rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, blood sugar readings, response levels, temperature, pain score, pupil-response, capillary-refill, peak expiratory flow
• The basics of the sound clinical decision making: early decisions will be made for time-critical patients including heart attack, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, sepsis, aneurysm, trauma, neck of femur fractures and appropriate referral pathways or advice to avoid taking patient to A&E
• Basic techniques in managing a patient’s airway and supporting their ventilation and circulation
• Appropriate drug selection and administration for a range of medical emergencies
• How to move and handle patients using a range of techniques, like assisted walking, transferring patients with specific equipment
• How to remove patients from scene to the ambulance and/or hospital: this may include rescue equipment, patient positioning and alternative methods of transport
• How to present an accurate clinical handover in a systematic manner: this includes other appropriate ambulance colleagues, medical staff and healthcare workers involved in physical patient handover
• How to identify the correct destination of patients across a range of emergency and urgent situations: this might include transfers to specialist heart attack centres or other alternative care pathways
• How to identify scenes that present with safety issues, ie at road traffic collisions, structural incidents, chemical incidents
• How to be aware of environmental factors that influence scene safety decisions including defusing and resolving conflict
• How to recognise and address adverse circumstances that impact on a patient's health. This might include identifying potential trip or slip hazards in a patient's home, or access to personal safety aids (walking frames or emergency alarms) and lifestyle guidance.

Year 2 includes a further placement with the Ambulance Service. 

You'll develop and enhance your clinical practice in line with your learning at university, to complete the module Clinical Practice in Paramedic Science 2.

In addition you’ll undertake placements with our out-of-ambulance partners. These will include emergency department and mental health placements. These ensure that you are able to perform autonomous clinical practice aware of the wider health industry.

Your final year includes a placement with the Ambulance Service, achieving the standards required for autonomous practice as a paramedic and completing the module Clinical Practice in Paramedic Science 3.

You'll also be placed with our out-of-ambulance providers; these include maternity services and critical care areas. These placements will enhance your clinical practice, as you learn about key clinical interventions that are often required within emergency medicine.