Paramedic - Level 6
Emergency Care
A career in paramedicine is a dynamic and exciting career with opportunities to work in a range of different roles as a Registered Paramedic. You will be a first-contact Allied Health Professional who works within the wider Urgent & Emergency Care setting. You will provide high quality and compassionate care, responding to the needs of service users and carers across the lifespan. You will work in a wide variety of settings, which may include a front-line ambulance, a GP surgery, a minor injury/illness centre, in remote medicine or a varied range of other environments. Responsibilities and duty of the role: At the point of registration, a paramedic is 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.
Skills and knowledge
To become a Paramedic you will need:
- knowledge of healthcare and medicine
- sensitivity and understanding
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- knowledge of public safety and security
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to work well with others
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Qualifications
To practise as a paramedic, you’ll first need to successfully complete an approved degree in paramedic science or with an apprenticeship degree. You’ll then need to apply to an ambulance service as a qualified paramedic and register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Paramedic science courses usually take between three or four years full time and include a mixture of theory and practical work including placements with the ambulance services.
Routes into this job
You can get into this role through a paramedic degree apprenticeship.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
You'll need to do a paramedic science degree approved by the Health and Care Professions Council. Full-time courses usually take 3 years.
You may be able to get additional student financial support through the NHS Learning Support Fund.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
You could start as an ambulance care assistant or an emergency medical technician. With experience you could apply for a place on a paramedic training scheme. You would need to check the entry procedures and requirements with individual ambulance service trusts.
Entry to paramedic courses is very competitive and it may help you if you have some relevant experience or training. You could:
- volunteer as a first responder with a charity or social enterprise, like St John Ambulance
- volunteer with an NHS ambulance trust
- work at a residential care home or day care centre
- get a first aid certificate
- work in an office-based job for an ambulance service
You can find more information on how to get relevant healthcare work experience from Health Careers
Career progression
Enhanced Clinical Practitioner (Level 6) to Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Level 7) levels are achievable with further education.
Another Level 7 route is to specialise as an: Advanced Forensic Practitioner (Custody or Sexual Offence)
This occupation is found in Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and within pathways for sexual violence services and within Police custodial settings. The unique element to this role is to provide evidence for the police, understanding the ethical frameworks in which healthcare in the criminal justice system considers ensuring complex decision making takes into account the individuals rights, our professional bodies standards and also respects that there is a public interest and a right to justice. Uniquely, the role of a forensic practitioner includes evidence gathering through forensic sampling, toxicology, documentation of injuries and provision of a statement to support the criminal justice system. This is required to be impartial and objective.
Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Level 7
Advanced Clinical Practitioners are experienced clinicians who demonstrate expertise in their scope of practice. Advanced Clinical Practitioners manage defined episodes of clinical care independently, from beginning to end, providing care and treatment from the time an individual first presents through to the end of the episode, which may include admission, referral or discharge or care at home. They carry out their full range of duties in relation to individuals’ physical and mental healthcare and in acute, primary, urgent and emergency settings (including hospitals, general practice, individuals’ homes, schools and prisons, and in the public, independent, private and charity sectors). They combine expert clinical skills with research, education and clinical leadership within their scope of practice. Advanced Clinical Practitioners work innovatively on a one to one basis with individuals as well as part of a wider team. They work as part of the wider health and social care team and across traditional professional boundaries in health and social care.