New year's resolutions: understanding conduct and ethics for students

As the new academic year gets under way there will be new paramedic students entering their first year of study, keen and eager to learn the art and knowledge of paramedic science. There will also be those students already in the system going up in their year, so the previous 2^nd year student now becomes the finalist, assuming more responsibility for their learning and having to demonstrate through practice and academic assessment that they are able to study at the appropriate level, fit for purpose and good enough to have their name entered onto the professional register.

Paramedic students are required to be assessed in both practice and theory (College of Paramedics, 2015) and assessment is usually carried out on a continuous basis. Health and social care students at most higher education institutions (HEIs) are different from other students who are studying—for example, a degree in engineering or aeronautics—as health and social care students work very closely with the public and their programme of study is located in both the practice setting as well as the university.