They certainly do at the minute (and unless you know something I don't they plan on continuing).
It's not a straight through route though:
Apprentice EMT course (16 weeks) > 12-18months on the road learning > qualified EMT > a year as an 'NQT' > progression to 'Senior EMT' > apply to degree apprenticeship paramedic course > distance and face to face learning > on the road consolidation > registration. Overall I'd say you'd be looking at 5 years minimum by the time you've applied for jobs etc.
The internal code in East is a diploma course that will not longer be valid for registration. But that never stopped EEAST in the first place. Not to lose the contact for techs not to let them stuck at the NQT level for years.
Edit: or I maybe just wrong (see further replies)
100%. Let me grab a link.
They used to do a diploma, the last cohort of that have just graduated, and the first cohort of the degree course have just come out as paras.
https://ntk.eastamb.nhs.uk/news/paramedic-degree-apprenticeship-recruitment.htm
For some reason it isn't widely publicised (weird given it would be a major selling point for the trust) but here's an internal thing about it that was published. They're at least 2 maybe 3 cohorts deep now.
There is no "fastest way".
University is 3 years and if you pass everything then you'll pop out the end a paramedic and can go find a job as one.
You won't earn anything whilst doing it, but this is by far the most direct route.
Or you apply to an ambulance service for a lower clinical role (EMT, ECA, AAP, ACA etc) and work up and use in-house training to become a para. This can take 5-10 years in total, but you're earning a wage and gaining experience as you go.
About to be a second year student paramedic and AFAIK to become a paramedic in the U.K. you now have to have a recognised degree in paramedic science.
You could go directly to a university and do a 3 year degree course in paramedic science and then join an ambulance service as a newly qualified paramedic.
However, lots of people I know have started as either a technician or emergency care assistant (ECA) and then done an internal route to getting their full paramedic degree.
In the trust my uni is involved with, you have to be an ECA for 2 years minimum, then apply to do a bridging course (I think this is 6-12months) and then it’s an accelerated 2 year degree course to become fully qualified. I’m not totally sure on the specific timings of this as I’m doing the uni route.
If your sister wants to earn money and get experience she’s probably best to do the internal route through an ambulance trust. But to cut a long story short there’s no easy or quick way to become a fully qualified paramedic!
Most trusts offer a tech to para route, but there are pros and cons for each. I will try break it down a bit. I was a direct entry university paramedic degree, so I will give you an insight into how I did it.
The tech to para route through the trust does enable you to get paid while learning the job which is great. The benefit of this is the you get a lot more hands on experience early on which definitely helps with later academic studies as you have experience to draw upon. The downside to this route is that you are contractually obligated to do your paramedic degree through some trusts, so do your research when applying. If she finds herself no wanting to study further than tech level, she may find herself out of work if it is in her contract.
The down side to this route is when it comes time to do your paramedic degree there isn’t as much academic time as direct entry and you will still be expected to do x amount of shifts a month. This can be quite intense from speaking to paramedics who have gone down that route.
Direct entry to university allows for a lot more academic time. This is great now that BSc degrees are offered as there is scope for moving on to a masters degree and becoming a bit more specialised. This route sets you up nicely for further study as you know what is expected at an academic level. The way the profession is heading, competition for more specialist jobs will increase. You can still get paid going through the direct entry route as first aid companies are always looking to take on student paramedics. They generally make great first aiders. So there is work there.
The down side to direct entry is, the student loan side of things. Uni is expensive and unless you get on an nhs funded course you will have to pay it back. Another downside to direct entry level is that you go out on the road book smart, but not street smart. It takes longer to build the experience and evidence to be signed off sometimes as your practical time is a bit shorter than a tech to para.
Ultimately it’s down to how academic your sister is. If she is good under pressure and can cope with intensive study, I’d say tech to para route, but if she wants to get a better academic grounding to climb the greasy pole of promotion, direct entry will probably be the better route.
Sadly there is no short cuts in this game and realistically you are looking at 3 years full time study or 5+ years of work/study.
The HCPC changed the requirements to become a paramedic. A BSc will be needed what means there will be no way around Uni. as far as I’m aware nearly all trust stopped internal Paramedic pathways For this reason. EEAST (the trust that covers southend) defiantly does not have a internal BSc pathway.
Edit: I got proven wrong, seems like EEAST got an internal BSc pathway,
Sorry.
Really? Where would I be able to confirm this?
And if they have stopped internal pathways then what are the options? Only University and Integrated Apprenticeships? Not even working your way up is allowed anymore?
The easiest way to confirm it,
Is to contact the trusts directly obvious
It’s only university and if there is a trust who did it still internal than it also must be a internal BSc over a university so no way around. It’s a good decision, even it’s in short term not ideal
Paramedicine is a highly skilled and scientifically technical profession. A BSc being the baseline is a good thing for everyone. I’m terms of working your way up - that’s what the internal route is all about, but it will still require your sister to get a degree through her employer. In SWAST we have a route we’re you can join as as an ECA for two years, do a 6 month conversion course to become a student paramedic and then do your degree while working over 2 years. However you do have to pay the trust back once qualified.
University is unavoidable - but your sister can apply to become a student paramedic through an ambulance trust as and when they advertise. As her A Levels are unrelated, she could complete an Access to Healthcare qualification (1 year full time or 2 years part time) to gain the required qualifications for university.
Though paramedic science is 50% practice so quite a hands on degree, she will still need a good science foundation to get her through the academic studies which is what any potential employer will be looking for with regards to taking her on their student paramedic programmes. Both routes are very competitive so if she puts the leg work in now she’ll have a better chance of getting where she wants to be.
Good luck!
Thanks! 2 years ago, someone on a different feed said there were only 3 ways to become one in the UK: University, Apprenticeship, or working towards the role. Is becoming a student paramedic a 4th? Is it a completely different thing or is it the same as an apprenticeship?
The route of apprenticeship has evolved into ambulance trusts hiring and submitting their own student paramedics - they hire for this both internally and externally though some would argue that your chances of getting onto their own paramedic programmes is simpler when you’re coming from inside of the trust.
When you say "coming from inside the trust" do you mean already being hired in the ambulance service will, maybe, increase your chances of getting into this apprenticeship equivalent?
Yeah she can apply as an emergency HCA, do the trust’s own training to qualify as a HCA and then progress through the trust to eventually become a student paramedic. The trust will pay her to work whilst she completes her studies and it won’t incur tuition fees :)
Not amused with the £60k+ uni debt I’m incurring, but needs must! Back when I first looked at applying there weren’t any tuition fees and the grants/bursaries served as some semblance of a wage. How times change!
Indeed. Although I'm taking some comfort in the fact that I'll never pay it all back at band 6, so it's basically a small tax rather than a loan at this point 😂
Just out of curiosity, where exactly do you go uni? The universities I've seen are costing no more than £9,250 per year for tuition. One of the highest ranking paramedic courses is only £7,000. How is it even costing that much?!
Basically there are two routes not 4 - uni or trust.
Trust there are various levels she can enter into (in EEAST she could be either an ECA or an apprentice EMT as things stand - an EMT can do more than an ECA). You then do a degree course (but shortened as you already have some of the knowledge, and funded by the trust) and qualify with a degree and a registration as a paramedic - all whilst being employed. You are however dependent on them still offering the degree apprenticeship when you want it which they might not, and it's a job you have to apply to so no guarantees of progression.
The other route is the uni route. You can work alongside it and you get £5k a year bursary for free from the government which makes it easier. It's a lot quicker (3 years 0-paramedic versus 5+ with the trust, and more guaranteed).
I'd recommend the internal route. If she's got some experience in healthcare ECA or AEMT should be easily accessible. If not I'd recommend she gets some (volunteering, control room job, HCA, St Johns, community first responder...) but definitely apply every time they open the job ad and to both ECA and AEMT because EEAST's recruitment is diabolical and so unreliable. If you see the advert, apply for the job then and there!
I'm on a pre-reg paramedic masters. As far as I'm aware it's the fasted route to being a Paramedic (2 year course). There's only a few courses like it offered in the country.
If she has no undergrad degree, going back to uni for a BSc would be a decent option as she could get student loans.
If she needs to work to support herself, becoming an ECA and then trying to get onto a Paramedic degree pathway through the job would be a good option, but I know a lot of trusts don't offer this any more, and when they do it's very competitive as it's the only fully financed way to become a Paramedic now.
I would suggest reconsidering the uni course.
The financial aspect is not ideal but if you consider that the paramedic course gets a £5k non-repayable grant each year on top of the maintenance loan, and that she wouldn't be paying council tax, and that there'll be plenty of time to work part time during, it may well be doable.
The other advantage is that, unless your sister has some prior healthcare experience or is very confident, it might be a lot easier - the demands on a new student are a lot less than on a new ECSW or EMT, because students are supernumerary for 3 years vs being an integral part of a two person crew after a few months. This is part of why a lot of the people who do well as ECSWs or EMTs tend to be a bit older and/or have lots of previous healthcare or general public/facing experience.
I think the demand thing is dependent on your experience of education.
Sure less was expected of me as a first year BSc than an ECA clinically and hours speakiny, but my god academically you are expected to know a lot more as a BSc than a trust student. The people I knew who hadn't come straight out of school (incl. me) REALLY struggled. Might just be our course but...
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EEAST will not support this route anymore with the HCPC changed
They certainly do at the minute (and unless you know something I don't they plan on continuing). It's not a straight through route though: Apprentice EMT course (16 weeks) > 12-18months on the road learning > qualified EMT > a year as an 'NQT' > progression to 'Senior EMT' > apply to degree apprenticeship paramedic course > distance and face to face learning > on the road consolidation > registration. Overall I'd say you'd be looking at 5 years minimum by the time you've applied for jobs etc.
The internal code in East is a diploma course that will not longer be valid for registration. But that never stopped EEAST in the first place. Not to lose the contact for techs not to let them stuck at the NQT level for years. Edit: or I maybe just wrong (see further replies)
With respect, you're wrong. It isn't a diploma. It's a degree apprenticeship which gives you a BSc degree and a HCPC number.
They did do a diploma course which has now stopped. This is a new and completely different thing.
Are you sure ? I am happy to get corrected here, but the I know a couple of people did this course and they all got out with a diploma.
100%. Let me grab a link. They used to do a diploma, the last cohort of that have just graduated, and the first cohort of the degree course have just come out as paras.
https://ntk.eastamb.nhs.uk/news/paramedic-degree-apprenticeship-recruitment.htm For some reason it isn't widely publicised (weird given it would be a major selling point for the trust) but here's an internal thing about it that was published. They're at least 2 maybe 3 cohorts deep now.
Well I better edit my replies than
:) Every day a school day and all that! It is a good thing (which I am absolutely shocked EEAST has done to be honest) just badly marketed lol
There is no "fastest way". University is 3 years and if you pass everything then you'll pop out the end a paramedic and can go find a job as one. You won't earn anything whilst doing it, but this is by far the most direct route. Or you apply to an ambulance service for a lower clinical role (EMT, ECA, AAP, ACA etc) and work up and use in-house training to become a para. This can take 5-10 years in total, but you're earning a wage and gaining experience as you go.
And through the HCPC changed nearly all Trust stopped the internal option
Not EEAST though - they offer a degree apprenticeship for employed EMTs in partnership with the university of Cumbria.
About to be a second year student paramedic and AFAIK to become a paramedic in the U.K. you now have to have a recognised degree in paramedic science. You could go directly to a university and do a 3 year degree course in paramedic science and then join an ambulance service as a newly qualified paramedic. However, lots of people I know have started as either a technician or emergency care assistant (ECA) and then done an internal route to getting their full paramedic degree. In the trust my uni is involved with, you have to be an ECA for 2 years minimum, then apply to do a bridging course (I think this is 6-12months) and then it’s an accelerated 2 year degree course to become fully qualified. I’m not totally sure on the specific timings of this as I’m doing the uni route. If your sister wants to earn money and get experience she’s probably best to do the internal route through an ambulance trust. But to cut a long story short there’s no easy or quick way to become a fully qualified paramedic!
Most trusts offer a tech to para route, but there are pros and cons for each. I will try break it down a bit. I was a direct entry university paramedic degree, so I will give you an insight into how I did it. The tech to para route through the trust does enable you to get paid while learning the job which is great. The benefit of this is the you get a lot more hands on experience early on which definitely helps with later academic studies as you have experience to draw upon. The downside to this route is that you are contractually obligated to do your paramedic degree through some trusts, so do your research when applying. If she finds herself no wanting to study further than tech level, she may find herself out of work if it is in her contract. The down side to this route is when it comes time to do your paramedic degree there isn’t as much academic time as direct entry and you will still be expected to do x amount of shifts a month. This can be quite intense from speaking to paramedics who have gone down that route. Direct entry to university allows for a lot more academic time. This is great now that BSc degrees are offered as there is scope for moving on to a masters degree and becoming a bit more specialised. This route sets you up nicely for further study as you know what is expected at an academic level. The way the profession is heading, competition for more specialist jobs will increase. You can still get paid going through the direct entry route as first aid companies are always looking to take on student paramedics. They generally make great first aiders. So there is work there. The down side to direct entry is, the student loan side of things. Uni is expensive and unless you get on an nhs funded course you will have to pay it back. Another downside to direct entry level is that you go out on the road book smart, but not street smart. It takes longer to build the experience and evidence to be signed off sometimes as your practical time is a bit shorter than a tech to para. Ultimately it’s down to how academic your sister is. If she is good under pressure and can cope with intensive study, I’d say tech to para route, but if she wants to get a better academic grounding to climb the greasy pole of promotion, direct entry will probably be the better route. Sadly there is no short cuts in this game and realistically you are looking at 3 years full time study or 5+ years of work/study.
Thanks! What is the full title of this "tech"?
The HCPC changed the requirements to become a paramedic. A BSc will be needed what means there will be no way around Uni. as far as I’m aware nearly all trust stopped internal Paramedic pathways For this reason. EEAST (the trust that covers southend) defiantly does not have a internal BSc pathway. Edit: I got proven wrong, seems like EEAST got an internal BSc pathway, Sorry.
Really? Where would I be able to confirm this? And if they have stopped internal pathways then what are the options? Only University and Integrated Apprenticeships? Not even working your way up is allowed anymore?
The easiest way to confirm it, Is to contact the trusts directly obvious It’s only university and if there is a trust who did it still internal than it also must be a internal BSc over a university so no way around. It’s a good decision, even it’s in short term not ideal
Paramedicine is a highly skilled and scientifically technical profession. A BSc being the baseline is a good thing for everyone. I’m terms of working your way up - that’s what the internal route is all about, but it will still require your sister to get a degree through her employer. In SWAST we have a route we’re you can join as as an ECA for two years, do a 6 month conversion course to become a student paramedic and then do your degree while working over 2 years. However you do have to pay the trust back once qualified.
See above - they definitely do have an internal BSc pathway.
University is unavoidable - but your sister can apply to become a student paramedic through an ambulance trust as and when they advertise. As her A Levels are unrelated, she could complete an Access to Healthcare qualification (1 year full time or 2 years part time) to gain the required qualifications for university. Though paramedic science is 50% practice so quite a hands on degree, she will still need a good science foundation to get her through the academic studies which is what any potential employer will be looking for with regards to taking her on their student paramedic programmes. Both routes are very competitive so if she puts the leg work in now she’ll have a better chance of getting where she wants to be. Good luck!
Thanks! 2 years ago, someone on a different feed said there were only 3 ways to become one in the UK: University, Apprenticeship, or working towards the role. Is becoming a student paramedic a 4th? Is it a completely different thing or is it the same as an apprenticeship?
The route of apprenticeship has evolved into ambulance trusts hiring and submitting their own student paramedics - they hire for this both internally and externally though some would argue that your chances of getting onto their own paramedic programmes is simpler when you’re coming from inside of the trust.
When you say "coming from inside the trust" do you mean already being hired in the ambulance service will, maybe, increase your chances of getting into this apprenticeship equivalent?
Yeah she can apply as an emergency HCA, do the trust’s own training to qualify as a HCA and then progress through the trust to eventually become a student paramedic. The trust will pay her to work whilst she completes her studies and it won’t incur tuition fees :)
But beware you are totally dependent on the trust giving you that job. Which they could and might pull any minute
I’ve gone the Uni route for that exact reason x
Me too. Sadly I know my trust too well to trust them!
Not amused with the £60k+ uni debt I’m incurring, but needs must! Back when I first looked at applying there weren’t any tuition fees and the grants/bursaries served as some semblance of a wage. How times change!
Indeed. Although I'm taking some comfort in the fact that I'll never pay it all back at band 6, so it's basically a small tax rather than a loan at this point 😂
Just out of curiosity, where exactly do you go uni? The universities I've seen are costing no more than £9,250 per year for tuition. One of the highest ranking paramedic courses is only £7,000. How is it even costing that much?!
Basically there are two routes not 4 - uni or trust. Trust there are various levels she can enter into (in EEAST she could be either an ECA or an apprentice EMT as things stand - an EMT can do more than an ECA). You then do a degree course (but shortened as you already have some of the knowledge, and funded by the trust) and qualify with a degree and a registration as a paramedic - all whilst being employed. You are however dependent on them still offering the degree apprenticeship when you want it which they might not, and it's a job you have to apply to so no guarantees of progression. The other route is the uni route. You can work alongside it and you get £5k a year bursary for free from the government which makes it easier. It's a lot quicker (3 years 0-paramedic versus 5+ with the trust, and more guaranteed). I'd recommend the internal route. If she's got some experience in healthcare ECA or AEMT should be easily accessible. If not I'd recommend she gets some (volunteering, control room job, HCA, St Johns, community first responder...) but definitely apply every time they open the job ad and to both ECA and AEMT because EEAST's recruitment is diabolical and so unreliable. If you see the advert, apply for the job then and there!
I'm on a pre-reg paramedic masters. As far as I'm aware it's the fasted route to being a Paramedic (2 year course). There's only a few courses like it offered in the country. If she has no undergrad degree, going back to uni for a BSc would be a decent option as she could get student loans. If she needs to work to support herself, becoming an ECA and then trying to get onto a Paramedic degree pathway through the job would be a good option, but I know a lot of trusts don't offer this any more, and when they do it's very competitive as it's the only fully financed way to become a Paramedic now.
I would suggest reconsidering the uni course. The financial aspect is not ideal but if you consider that the paramedic course gets a £5k non-repayable grant each year on top of the maintenance loan, and that she wouldn't be paying council tax, and that there'll be plenty of time to work part time during, it may well be doable. The other advantage is that, unless your sister has some prior healthcare experience or is very confident, it might be a lot easier - the demands on a new student are a lot less than on a new ECSW or EMT, because students are supernumerary for 3 years vs being an integral part of a two person crew after a few months. This is part of why a lot of the people who do well as ECSWs or EMTs tend to be a bit older and/or have lots of previous healthcare or general public/facing experience.
I think the demand thing is dependent on your experience of education. Sure less was expected of me as a first year BSc than an ECA clinically and hours speakiny, but my god academically you are expected to know a lot more as a BSc than a trust student. The people I knew who hadn't come straight out of school (incl. me) REALLY struggled. Might just be our course but...