Student to begin studying on Northern Ireland's first Paramedic Sciences degree

40 students are to begin studying on the first ever Paramedic Sciences degree in Northern Ireland.

The new programme at Ulster University will be based at the School of Nursing at the Magee Campus in Londonderry.

Until now, anyone wishing to become fully qualified paramedics had to complete their degree in the Republic of Ireland or in Great Britain.

However, students will now be able to study locally with the course having funding support from the Department of Health.

The course is on offer for both school leavers and mature students.

The initial intake will consist of people from a wide range of career backgrounds including accountancy, insurance along with those already in health related roles.

21 year old Conor has been a Emergency Medical Dispatcher for the Ambulance Service since he finished his A Levels.

Conor worked right through the pandemic and realised he wanted a more face-to-face role.

"The clear difference in call volume between pre-pandemic and during the pandemic was immense," said Conor who is from Belfast.

"Helping people over the phone was extremely rewarding but I’m ready to have a more face-to-face and hands on role in the care of the patients I deal with rather than giving instructions such as CPR and delivering a baby over the phone!” 32 year old Olivia had trained as a Chartered Accountant but wanted a career change.

"I hope that through sharing my unusual journey to this Paramedic Science course, it will encourage future applicants from non-healthcare backgrounds," Olivia from Co Armagh said. Megan from Co Down also had an unusual route to the course.

The 22 year old said she had wanted to train as a paramedic after leaving but because she there was no course on offer in Northern Ireland, she decided to do a geography degree instead.

"I maintained my interest in first responder care, working with the Mourne Mountain Rescue team when writing my dissertation," Megan said.

"I have worked for the RNLI as a lifeguard for several years and also volunteer for the Coastguard which have meant I have attended lots of callouts with the paramedics attending.

"This really consolidated the fact that I would love to be a paramedic and here I am on day one!" The new campus facility includes an exact replica of an ambulance and students will also have access to specially designed training spaces including a hospital wards, simulated bedrooms and living room. Health Minister Robin Swann has welcomed the new course.

"These paramedics will be an essential part of the future Health and Social care workforce and I wish them all every success in their careers," Mr Swann said. Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice Chancellor of the University commented:

“Following the opening of the School of Medicine just four weeks ago, this is another key milestone on our journey to transforming the Magee campus into a hub for Health and Innovation.

"Our paramedic, nursing, medical - and from next year, health sciences - students will learn together and hopefully go on to work side by side in hospitals and other care settings both here in the North West and throughout Northern Ireland.

"Now that we can educate local talent to this level here in the region, we anticipate that they will choose to stay and work in Northern Ireland thereby meeting the growing workforce demands for more paramedics in Northern Ireland and increasing our workforce at a critical time.”