Preparing pregistration students for lifelong learning and practice

Paramedic education in Scotland has historically, been vocationally driven through the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), from Institute of Healthcare Development (IHCD) training through to the DipHE Paramedic Practice, which was delivered in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU). However, with the development of the consultation by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (2017) on entry level to the register, the first full-time undergraduate degree was approved and commenced delivery in September 2017 at GCU. Following the confirmation of degree-level entry from September 2021 to the register (HCPC, 2018), it was understood that there would be a potential gap, where the number of paramedics qualifying in Scotland, and potentially entering employment with SAS, would be reduced. Therefore, NHS Education Scotland (NES), in collaboration with SAS and the Scottish Government, commissioned delivery of BSc Paramedic Science programmes by a further four higher education institutions (HEIs) with balanced geographical spread: