From qualified professional to student apprentice

I am one of 30 students that began the new internal 2-year Paramedic Science degree programme in the East of England. It is available for ambulance technicians and runs in collaboration with the University of Cumbria, who are running this with other ambulance trusts in the UK. The programme began in April 2021 and comprises 41 university contact days and a minimum of 400 supervised hours working as a student paramedic per year. The contact days use blended learning, with half being delivered face-to-face, and the other half delivered via online conferencing. University teaching is broken into short blocks, followed by a period of consolidation; practising new skills and assessment techniques out on the road—which is great for myself as a visual and kinesthetic learner.

Remote learning is delivered online via Microsoft Teams, allowing us to learn from home. It has obvious benefits such as wearing a smart top and pyjama bottoms and muting the sound for all those Amazon deliveries—but also being able to rewatch recorded sessions as needed to cement learning. Initially, it was difficult to build rapport and relationships with other students on large group video calls. However, students are gradually connecting, and I am loving seeing the camaraderie start to develop. Students are beginning to rally together to support one another. Peer support is encouraged by the university and is key to our success on the course.