Bachelor's Programme in Paramedic Science Programme description

The Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Paramedic Science is a three-year programme of professional study (180 credits). Students who complete the programme are awarded the degree of Bachelor in Paramedic Science, which forms the basis for applying for authorisation as a paramedic in accordance with the Act relating to Health Personnel etc. The programme description has been drawn up on the basis of the National Regulations relating to a Common Curriculum for Health and Social Care Education and the Regulations on National Guidelines for Paramedic Science Education, adopted by the Ministry of Education and Research. The programme was established under the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

The tasks of a paramedic are varied and at times demanding. Paramedics usually work in the ambulance service, but can also work in the emergency medical service, emergency departments, the psychiatric health service, substance abuse care, or in discipline development and training. Patient encounters can range from simple, routine situations to acute situations involving serious ill and injured patients. In the ambulance service, paramedics are responsible for examining, assessing and treating patients and for transporting patients to the right place at the right time.

Knowledge of basic medical, ethical and operational disciplines is often combined with more specific disciplines in emergency medicine and traumatology. One example of this may be to examine the patient with the aim of identifying whether the symptoms are due chronic illness or an acute need of medical support. Relational, communicative and guidance competence enables the paramedic to understand and interact with patients, next of kin and colleagues, which is essential for the professional practice. Paramedics also cooperate with colleagues across professions and disciplines in different situations in the primary and specialist health services, and in the rescue services.

The education is rooted in both natural sciences and health sciences. The paramedic discipline combines evidence-based practice with knowledge about health, diseases and injuries, ethics, law, patient safety, decision-making, management, operative ambulance work and emergency preparedness. Elderly patients and people with mental health disorders and/or drug and addiction problems comprise important target groups, besides acutely ill and injured children and adults. A paramedic will also take care of people who have been victims of neglect, violence and abuse.

Relevance to working life

Paramedics work at the individual, group and system level in many fields of the primary and specialist health services. Paramedics work with people of all ages, for example in the road, sea or air ambulance service, emergency medical communication centres, emergency departments, municipal emergency inpatient units, emergency medical centres and the Norwegian Armed Forces’ medical service

Relevance to further education

A bachelor’s degree in Paramedic Science also qualifies candidates for admission to a number of master’s degree programmes in health sciences. Prehospital Critical Care at the University of Stavanger is particularly relevant.

Everyone who wishes to take a bachelor’s degree in paramedic science in order to practise as a paramedic, or as the starting point for further studies.

In accordance with the Regulations concerning Admission to Higher Education, the admission requirements are Higher Education Entrance Qualification or prior learning and work experience. Candidates must also have:

• a Class B driving licence, acquired on 1 March in the year of admission at the latest
• passed the physical admission test, including a self-declaration on swimming ability

Applicants who accept an offer of a place on the programme must also submit a transcript of police records, cf. the Regulations concerning Admission to Higher Education.

Students will acquire a certificate of competence for driving emergency vehicles in the course of the programme. Applicants are therefore responsible for clarifying whether they meet the medical requirements for a class D driving licence.

In accordance with the Section 12-8 of Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the use of headwear that covers the head or the face is prohibited both in connection with teaching and in exam situations. This also applies to students on clinical placements.

Programplanen for videreutdanning i utviklingshemming, psykisk helse og kvalitetsforbedring i praksis er utarbeidet i samarbeid med Oslo universitetssykehus, Regional seksjon psykiatri, utviklingshemming/autisme, PUA, KPHA, og Nasjonal kompetansetjeneste for utviklingshemming og psykisk helse, NKUP.

Formålet med studiet er å utdanne brukerorienterte og reflekterte yrkesutøvere som har kunnskap om og kompetanse til å bidra til god psykisk helse for personer med utviklingshemming. De skal kunne identifisere lidelser/sykdom slik at personer med utviklingshemming får tilbud om behandling, samtidig som de skal kunne inngå i et helhetlig og tverrfaglig tilbud tilpasset den enkelte bruker.

Nasjonale og internasjonale studier viser at personer med utviklingshemming er mer sårbare for å utvikle psykisk lidelse og atferdsforstyrrelse enn befolkningen generelt. Likevel er personer med utviklingshemming og psykisk lidelse underrepresentert når det gjelder utredning, behandling, forskning og faglig oppmerksomhet både i Norge og internasjonalt. Personer med utviklingshemming er heller ikke en særlig påaktet gruppe i forbindelse med nasjonale satsninger på bedring av psykisk helse i befolkningen. Mangel på kunnskap hos tjenesteytere både i de kommunale tjenestene og i spesialisthelsetjenesten, kan blant annet medføre at symptomer på psykisk lidelse misoppfattes og tilskrives personens funksjonshemming. Dette er en viktig del av forklaringen på underrapportering og underdiagnostisering av psykisk lidelse blant mennesker med utviklingshemming.

Psykisk lidelse og utviklingshemming generelt har blitt mer fokusert i løpet av de siste tiårene. I dag er det enighet om at mennesker med utviklingshemming utvikler de samme psykiske lidelsene som andre. En gruppe pasienter som er særlig sårbar for å utvikle store og sammensatte vansker ved psykisk lidelse, er personer med utviklingshemming og neuropsykiatriske tilleggstilstander som autismespektrumforstyrrelser (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourettes syndrom etc. Spesielt personer med ASD vil ofte utvikle omfattende vansker forbundet med psykisk lidelse. Disse vanskene kan gi seg utslag i såkalt utfordrende atferd. Slik atferd har tradisjonelt blitt sett på som problematferd og ikke som symptom på psykiske vansker. Det er derfor et stort behov at fagpersoner som har kontakt med personer med utviklingshemming og tilleggsvansker, er i stand til å gjenkjenne tegn på psykiske vansker og samhandle terapeutisk med den enkelte bruker.

Relevans for arbeidsliv

Etter endt utdanning vil kandidatene ha gode forutsetninger for å følge opp brukere med sammensatte vansker ved utviklingshemming og psykisk lidelse. De vil kunne identifisere symptomer og kartlegge utfordringer. Videre vil de kunne bidra i klinisk omsorg og terapeutisk virksomhet. Kandidatene vil dessuten kunne anvende lovverk som regulerer tjenestene og kjenne til hvordan disse tjenestene innen psykisk helsevern organiseres.

I de kommunale, hjemmebaserte tjenestene som yter bistand og helsetjenester til mennesker med utviklingshemming er det stort behov for kompetent oppfølging, noe som mangler i kommunene. Kandidatene vil kunne veilede kollegaer i, delta i faglig forbedringsarbeid og inngå i tverrprofesjonelle team. Det planlagte utdanningstilbudet vil derfor imøtekomme et etterspurt behov i landets mange kommuner.

Relevans for videre utdanning

Studiet er kunnskapsbasert og bygger på forskning, erfaringsbasert kunnskap, brukerkunnskap og brukermedvirkning, som er i tråd med samfunnets krav. Gjennom utdanningen stilles det økende krav til refleksjonsnivå og utvikling av analytisk holdning og vurdering. Studentene tilegner seg kompetanse slik at de kritisk kan vurdere teoretisk kunnskap, erfaringer og egne handlinger.

Utdanningen ligger på bachelornivå, og planen for studiet bygger på Lov om universiteter og høyskoler og forskrift om studier og eksamen ved OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet.

Bachelorgrad innen helse- eller sosialfaglig utdanning eller pedagogikk, og minst to (2) års arbeidserfaring.

Søkere kan bli tatt opp på bakgrunn av dokumentert realkompetanse. For å oppfylle kravene til realkompetanse må man ha minimum fem års dokumentert jobberfaring fra tjenester utdanningen retter seg mot. Det er en forutsetning at søkeren har generell studiekompetanse eller relevant fagbrev.

Det vises til forskrift om opptak til studier ved OsloMet – storbyuniversitetet.

Clinical practice placement makes up about one-third of the programme and is divided into periods of placement in the ambulance service and in different parts of the primary and specialist health services.

The placement periods are intended to give students competence in integrating theoretical and evidence-based knowledge with clinical understanding. In clinical situations, the students also learn about patients’ and next of kin’s user knowledge. Clinical training is an important qualification arena for developing clinical competence. Students will continuously alternate between theoretical in-depth studies, simulation and skills training at the university and clinical training in the field of practice in order to develop clinical competence.

Practice placement arenas for this programme are mainly located in Oslo and Eastern Norway. The students may need to commute to and from the location of the practice placement. Students must comply with the practice placements guidelines for work clothing. Special requirements for tests or vaccination may be applicable at some practice placements institutions.

Clinical training

The practical part of the programme totals 37 weeks. The majority of these, 24 weeks, are made up of supervised clinical training in the ambulance service. The remaining 13 weeks are spent in different places in the primary and specialist health services.

Placement in the ambulance service

The clinical training is split into two courses in the second (16 weeks) and third (8 weeks) years of the programme. This training is supervised, which means that a supervisor from the ambulance service follows up the student throughout the training period. This is carried out in cooperation with a contact lecturer from the university. Separate training documents have been drawn up for the placement periods. The learning outcomes from the course descriptions are specified in these documents. The document is intended as a tool for the student and supervisor to actively link the clinical training to the learning outcomes, and to document the student’s progress. This is used as a basis for assessment in cooperation with the contact lecturer from the university.

Clinical training in the primary and specialist health services

This training is spread over approximately thirteen weeks in the fifth semester. The aim is for the student to gain increased understanding and experience with patient care pathways in other parts of the medical emergency chain in primary and specialist health services. Relevant training establishments can include municipal health services, somatic and psychiatric hospital departments, specialised hospital departments, substance abuse care, mobile teams, and private actors. In addition to the training itself, the course consists of seminars, simulation and skills training, teaching, writing reflection notes, and working in study and reflection groups. Parts of the clinical training can be replaced by simulation and skills training at OsloMet if this provides a better opportunity to ensure that learning outcomes are achieved.

The student will be taken care of and guided by different health personnel at the various training establishments. To ensure continuity, students will have regular contact with a university teacher throughout the training period. The final competence will be assessed in a concluding exam seminar with a practical-oral group exam.

Critical incidents

There is a relatively high possibility that the students will experience particular demanding and serious incidents during the placement periods. Measures have therefore been taken to protect the individual students by established peer support schemes. The students must therefore sign a consent form at the start of the programme confirming that they have been informed of the above. It is the students’ independent responsibility to contact the peer support scheme as needed to process critical incidents. If necessary, the student will be referred to the Student Welfare Organisation’s health service.

Certificate of competence for driving emergency vehicles

Students must pass both a theoretical and a practical test in driving emergency vehicles in order to complete the paramedic programme. The students must meet the requirements stipulated in Section 6 of the Emergency Vehicle Regulations before they can start the training. Among other things, this means that the students must a) document in the form of a medical certificate that they meet the medical requirements for a category 3 driving licence, b) have reached 20 years of age, and c) have held a class B driving licence continuously for the past two years.

During the second and third years of the programme, the students receive theoretical and practical training in groups. All students in the year group must have taken the theoretical and practical tests before completing the course PMEDPRA30 in the sixth semester.

The tests are organised and assessed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. OsloMet will cover the costs related to the theoretical and practical tests up to three times. Students must pay for any further attempts. In order for OsloMet to issue the diploma, the theoretical and practical test must be passed within one year after the student has attempted the test for the third time.

For more information about the training requirements and the practical and theoretical tests in emergency vehicle driving, reference is made to the regulations relating to training, testing and competence in driving emergency vehicles (the emergency vehicle regulations – in Norwegian only).

Increasing globalisation of the labour market and rapid social changes make it increasingly more important to have international professional experience, language and cultural knowledge. Internationalisation contributes to raising the quality of education and strengthens the academic community on the programme, at the same time as it prepares the students to become global citizens and acquiring new perspectives.

The programme’s focus on multicultural and global issues prepares the students for professional work in a multicultural society. International specialist literature is used extensively in the programme, which gives students access to English specialist terminology and relevant knowledge about current international trends.

Internationalisation takes place through activities on the home campus and through exchange programmes between students and staff at OsloMet and foreign educational institutions.

OsloMet has exchange agreements in place with universities and university colleges in Europe. Exchanges may be relevant:

• in the fourth semester, in connection with the course PMED2110 Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Communication (20 credits).
• in the sixth semester, in connection with the course PMEDPRA30 Clinical Studies C, Placement in the Ambulance Service (10 credits) and PMED3900 Bachelor’s Thesis (15 credits).

Students can only go on an exchange if the partner institution offers courses in subject areas corresponding to those covered at OsloMet in the semester the exchange applies to.

The institution will also receive students from foreign educational institutions in the spring semester. Incoming students may for example take the following course combinations:

• PMED3010 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 2 (15 credits) and PMED3900 Bachelor Thesis (15 credits)
• PMED1410 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 1 (25 credits)

It may also be relevant to offer these courses in combination with courses related to other study programmes at the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Nordplus has also established cooperation through the Nordparamedics network, in which student exchanges of up to two weeks are possible in the sixth semester. Reference is otherwise made to the criteria that apply to student exchanges and the information about stays abroad.

The courses PMED1410 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 1 and PMED3010 Assessment and Treatment of Sick and Injured Patients, Part 2 will normally be taught in English. Other courses may also be offered in English for international students as needed. The students can decide whether to write their bachelor’s thesis in English or Norwegian. Students who go on exchanges must write their thesis in English if the exchange is in a country outside Scandinavia.

Videreutdanningen består av to emner – PLU6200 Utviklingshemming og psykisk helse (15 stp.) og PLU6300 Kvalitetsforbedring i praksis innen psykisk helse (15 stp.), totalt 30 stp.

Utdanningen gjennomføres på deltid, med en studieprogresjon på 15 studiepoeng per semester. Utdanningen er nettbasert med tilbud om hybridundervisning, for å være mest mulig fleksibel. Forventet studieinnsats er beregnet til ca. 20 timer pr. uke over 2 semester, totalt 40 uker.

Different forms of assessment are used that are adapted to the learning outcomes of the different courses in the programme. The forms of assessment used are intended to support learning and document that the students’ competence is adequate in relation to the applicable learning outcomes. The students will receive advice and supervision and have their performance assessed during the programme. It is important and necessary to assess students’ knowledge and skills often, so that they receive feedback on whether their performance is in line with the programme’s requirements and whether they have achieved the learning outcomes.

The assessment of exams and clinical training is carried out in accordance with the applicable rules set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet and the Guidelines for Appointment and Use of Examiners at OsloMet.

The forms of assessment are described in the individual course descriptions. All exams taken will be stated on the diploma, along with the title of the student’s bachelor’s thesis.

Exams

Most courses conclude with an exam. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course, and what is assessed is whether the student has achieved the stipulated learning outcomes. The grades used are either pass/fail or letter grades on a scale from A to F, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade. The grade F means that the student has failed the exam.

Most courses have required coursework that must be approved before the student can take the exam. See the course descriptions for more details.

Resit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description. In the case of resit or rescheduled exams in courses with group exams, it may in special cases be applicable to take the resit/rescheduled exam individually.

For exams where a percentage of the exam papers are selected for assessment by an external examiner, the external examiner’s assessment must benefit all the students. In such cases, one external and one internal examiner will first grade the selected papers. The internal examiner then continues grading the remaining papers together with another internal examiner. The assessments from the first part are summarised to serve as guidelines for the assessments carried out by the two internal examiners.

Grades awarded for written exams can be appealed, cf. Section 11-10 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. It is not possible to appeal the grades awarded for oral and practical exams. For a group exam, the result of an appeal will only have consequences for the candidates who submitted the appeal. This means that all members of the group do not have to participate in the appeal.

Assessment of placement in the ambulance service

The placement in the ambulance service is assessed as pass/fail. The assessment is based on the learning outcomes for the course, the student’s specification of the learning outcomes and the formative assessment. The formative assessment, which means the assessment of the student’s knowledge, skills and suitability, is carried out during the placement period, and summarised half-way through and at the end of the placement period.

To pass the clinical training, the student must have met the compulsory attendance requirement. A minimum attendance requirement of 90% applies to clinical placement courses. The attendance requirement includes both the time spent at the clinical placement site and any teaching provided as part of the programme in relation to the clinical placement.

The following also applies to absence:

• less than 10% absence: The student can complete the clinical placement course as normal.
• Between 10 and 20% absence: The student can make up for the missed clinical placement time, provided that this is doable. This must be agreed with the training supervisor and the contact lecturer at the university.
• more than 20% absence: The student must normally retake the whole clinical placement course. This will result in delayed progress in the programme.

If the student exceeds the maximum limit for absence, the course will be registered as failed and count as an attempt.

If a student is awarded a fail grade for a clinical placement course twice, the student will normally have to leave the programme, cf. the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet, Chapter 5.

Suitability

Diplomas for the completed programme will only be awarded to graduates who are suited to practise the profession. A student who represents a potential threat to the physical or mental health, rights and safety of their patients and colleagues is not suited for the profession.

Suitability assessments are made on a continuous basis throughout the study programme and will be included in the overall assessment of the students’ professional and personal suitability for work as a health care worker. Students who demonstrate little ability to master the paramedic profession must be informed of this at the earliest possible stage of the programme. They will be given supervision and advice on how to improve, or be advised to leave the programme. Special suitability assessments are used in exceptional cases, cf. Regulations to the Act Relating to Universities and University Colleges, Chapter 7.

Arbeidskrav er alle former for arbeid, innleveringer, presentasjoner og obligatorisk tilstedeværelse som settes som vilkår for å fremstille seg til vurdering/eksamen i emnene. Arbeidskrav gis vurdering godkjent/ikke godkjent. Reglene om fusk i Lov om universiteter og høgskoler, Forskrift om studier og eksamen og retningslinjer ved behandling av fusk/forsøk på fusk til eksamen ved OsloMet, gjelder også for arbeidskrav.

Arbeidskravene tilknyttet hvert emne fremgår i den enkelte emneplan. Hensikten med arbeidskrav er å:

• bidra til at studenten oppnår læringsutbyttene i emnene
• fremme progresjon og faglig utvikling i utdanningen
• stimulere til å oppsøke og tilegne seg ny kunnskap
• legge til rette for samhandling og kommunikasjon om faglige spørsmål

Det er studentens ansvar å påse at arbeidskrav oppfylles innen de fristene som er angitt.

Studiet har hovedsakelig arbeidskrav i form av obligatorisk deltakelse på gruppesamlinger, skriftlige oppgaver som leveres individuelt eller gruppevis, gruppearbeid som kan være veiledet, muntlige presentasjoner og tilbakemelding til medstudenter.

Obligatorisk deltakelse I emnene vil det være obligatorisk deltakelse på gruppesamlinger for å sikre at studentene har det nødvendige grunnlaget for å oppnå læringsutbyttene.

Dersom studenten overskrider fraværsgrensen vil emneansvarlig vurdere om det er mulig å kompensere for fravær gjennom alternative krav, for eksempel skriftlige individuelle oppgaver. Muligheten for kompensasjon avhenger av hvor stort fraværet har vært og hvilke aktiviteter studenten ikke har deltatt på. Fravær fra obligatoriske gruppesamlinger som ikke kan kompenseres, kan medføre forsinkelse i studentens utdanningsløp.

Skriftlige arbeider

Emnene har ulike skriftlige arbeider som arbeidskrav. Skriftlige arbeider som ikke blir godkjent, må omarbeides før ny innlevering. Dersom annen gangs innlevering ikke godkjennes, kan ikke studenten framstille seg til ordinær eksamen/vurdering.

Studenten har rett til et tredje forsøk før ny/utsatt eksamen. Ikke godkjent arbeidskrav kan medføre forsinkelse i studentens utdanningsløp. Nærmere bestemmelser om krav til skriftlige arbeider, frister etc. fremgår av undervisningsplanen for det enkelte emne.