The transnational delivery of paramedic education: the Gibraltar case study

Higher education is becoming increasingly more international, with both governments and universities seeking to expand beyond traditional markets as globalisation increases. The internationalisation of education is a broad term that describes the ‘process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, function or delivery of post-secondary education’ (Knight, 2003). Transnational Education (TNE) is a more defined area of internationalisation, where students are able to study a higher education course away from the host country (British Council, 2013).

Paramedics in the UK are in a relatively unique position from an international perspective where they are trained, educated and practice within a distinct and uniform set of professional standards as set out by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (2008). This is set against a background of higher education institutions in the UK enjoying a good reputation on an international setting, where much of the delivery of paramedic pre-registration education takes place. There exists the potential for countries to look towards the UK as a provider to develop paramedic services to enrich their existing pre-hospital systems. Unfortunately, there is no specific guidance or literature to inform this process. The following article is a case study account with personal reflections of an example of the transnational provision of higher education to develop paramedic services in an overseas region. In November 2013, a small cohort of students successfully graduated from an HCPC validated paramedic programme in Gibraltar.