Bachelor of Science in Paramedic Studies
NFQ Level 8 major Award Honours Bachelor Degree NFQ Level 8
Tel: 00 353 61 202015
Queries: www.ul.ie/admissions-askus
About You
If you are the type of person who can demonstrate accurate decision and evaluation skills to provide the best patient care possible, then this course will be interesting to you. Key personal attributes include an ability to work under pressure, calm and caring demeanour with flare for initiative and innovation.
Why study Paramedic Studies at UL?
As the only university in Ireland to currently offer Paramedic Studies at undergraduate degree level, our innovative campus with state-of-the-art high fidelity simulation, offers unequalled opportunities for the developing paramedic student.
What you will study
The curriculum has 4 main domains: Knowledge of Health and Illness, Clinical and Anatomical Skills, Professional Skills, and Pre-Hospital Research. You will be taught via Problem Based Learning (PBL). The ‘problems’ are highly structured hypothetical clinical cases, each of which takes a week to work through. Each semester, students are divided into groups of seven or eight, each with its own tutor in a tutorial room, with PC, state of the art AV equipment and walls lined with whiteboards. The group meets with the tutor to work through the week’s case. The tutor acts as teacher and facilitator, guiding the group through the sequence of steps which have been devised to help students learn from the clinical cases. Each step and new development in the case (such as results of investigations or details of drugs prescribed) is only given out after the group has finished discussing the previous step.
Off Campus Programme
In Year 1, Semester 2 with core knowledge and skills acquired, students are required to attend a wide range of clinical placements. Allied health placements as well as emergency and non-emergency ambulance deployments form the basis for your undergraduate experience; these include: Coronary Care, Emergency Department, Operating Theatres, Paediatrics, Maternity, Fire and Rescue, Learning Disabilities, Care of the Elderly Person.
To maximise potential exposure, compulsory emergency ambulance placements for Year 2 are based in the United Kingdom. High call volumes, diverse population and an established university based educational system ensure students can maximise patient exposure in a sophisticated peer-led environment.
| Year 1 | Semester 1 | Year 1 | Semester 2 | Summer |
| Human Science (Biology, Physics & Chemistry) | Core Anatomy and Physiology (Part B) | Vacation | ||
| Structure of the Body in Illness and Injury | Principles of Emergency Care 1 | |||
| Core Anatomy and Physiology (Part A) | Principles of Emergency Care 2 | |||
| Paramedic and Population Health | Respiratory System in the Community | |||
| Patient Centred Practice | Cardiovascular System in the Community | |||
| Emergency Driving Theory | Emergency Driving Practice | |||
| Year 2 | Semester 1 | Year 2 | Semester 2 | |
| Rostered Clinical Placement 1 | Rostered Clinical Placement 2 | Rostered Clinical Placement 3 | ||
| Year 3 | Semester 1 | Year 3 | Semester 2 | |
| Anatomy and Physiology in Emergent Care 1 | Principles of Pre-Hospital Emergency Care 1 | |||
| Anatomy and Physiology in Emergent Care 2 | Principles of Pre-Hospital Emergency Care 2 | |||
| Year 4 | Semester 1 | Year 4 | Semester 2 | |
| Pre-Hospital Trauma Management | Introduction to Emergent Care Research | |||
| Population Health and Emergent Care | Pre-Hospital Research Proposal |
Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include: Two H5 (Higher level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English.
In addition, applicants must hold an O6/H7 grade in one of the following Laboratory Science subjects: Biology; Physics, Chemistry; Physics and Chemistry; or Agricultural Science. Enquiries about the methods of evaluation of results of examinations and qualifications other than the Republic of Ireland Leaving Certificate Examination should be addressed to the Admissions Office of UL.
A valid B driving licence AND a provisional or full C1 driving licence is required prior to offer of a place on the programme or a licence of an equivalent standard from another country. Students must produce a full C1 licence by the end of Year 1 of the programme. Penalty points may preclude progression.
Further information on B and C1 driving licence categories can be found here.
Mature Students who wish to be considered for a place on the grounds of mature years must satisfy their suitability by means of an assessment test and subsequent interview (ranked). Mature applicants should be 23 years old on or before January 1st of the year of enrolment. Mature applicants must apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) by the 1st February.
As a graduate of Paramedic Studies, you will be ready for employment within state and private emergency medical services.
Follow-on study
Related postgraduate courses in UL include:
- MSc Emergency and Acute Interdisciplinary care.
Mark Williams
Paramedic practice is a fast-developing profession which is finding it’s foothold in the medical world, and this degree programme is the next logical step for practitioner training and development. I’ve been outside formal education for quite a while but UL’s innovative course structure offered just what I was looking for and suited me. I enjoy the different teaching approach at UL. I’m expected to go beyond what’s given to me during lectures and classroom sessions, finding information and evidence for myself to inform my practice and develop my knowledge. This is a vital skill as I’m entering a profession that is constantly changing and developing as new therapies and treatments are offered to patients.
In the first year of the course, there is a lot of theory and learning followed by some placements. I love the challenges that each patient presents, whether that’s basic communication, assessment and treatment decisions, or extrication and transport. No two patients are the same, and you never know what is coming next!
The second year of our course is working for the Paramedic Emergency Service in Liverpool. Working with Paramedics on the front line, we’re responding to everything from coughs and colds to cardiac arrests, from sunstroke to stabbings and everything in between. The placement is a critical part of our registration requirements to work as Paramedics in Ireland. The exposure to all types of calls, from newborns to centenarians, puts all our theory and learning into practice. I’m seeing how classroom scenarios translate into real life, learning from experienced colleagues, learning my craft and picking up all sorts of tips and tricks! It’s hard work – physically and mentally – but very rewarding and very enjoyable. This year has completely reinforced the idea that I’ve made the right career choice!