1. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, demonstrate effective communication via different means including face to face, written and radio while maintaining professional standards and behaviours.

Communication

2. Integrate safe advanced assessment techniques, including use of appropriate digital tools, in practice and simulated environments to inform clinical decision-making.

Application & Problem Solving

Digital Literacy

3. Apply clinical leadership skills to coordinate and manage activities within both simulated and practice-based environments

Leadership & Professional Judgement

4. Reflect on your development as an emerging independent clinician in Paramedic Science to support continued personal development.

Reflection

Personal Development & Entrepreneurship

Assessment 1

Clinical Practice Placement Record

Weighting: 0% (Pass/Fail)

Assesses module learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3.

This assessment requires you to demonstrate competent, safe and professional practice within supervised clinical placements and simulation environments. You must evidence effective communication with service-users and multidisciplinary teams, apply advanced assessment techniques, and demonstrate leadership behaviours appropriate to your level of practice. All required competencies must be observed and signed off by approved practice educators using the PARE (Practice Assessment Record and Evaluation) framework.

Rationale:

At Level 5, you are expected to progress from foundational practice towards more autonomous assessment, communication and leadership behaviours. The PARE document evidences safe, professional performance in real clinical environments and aligns to national expectations for paramedic practice.



Assessment 2

Reflection on Simulated or Clinical Practice Experience (1500 words)

Weighting: 100%

Assesses learning outcome 4

You will complete a structured 1500-word critical reflection drawing on an experience from simulated or clinical practice, using digital tools to evaluate your performance, identify strengths and areas for development, and plan ongoing professional growth. Your reflection must demonstrate critical engagement with feedback, understanding of advanced assessment expectations, and insight into your evolving practice as a student paramedic.

The submission will be evaluated using the University’s generic marking criteria.

Rationale:

Reflection is an essential component of paramedic professionalism and supports the development of clinical judgement, self-awareness and continuous improvement. This assessment allows you to evidence increasingly sophisticated reflective skills appropriate for Level 5.

This module develops advancing professional, clinical and leadership skills required for safe paramedic practice in both simulated and real environments. Content includes:

Professional communication and interpersonal skills, including advanced handover, structured communication tools, de-escalation approaches, and communication under pressure.

Advanced assessment and decision-making, including synthesis of observations, guideline-informed reasoning, and early autonomous decision pathways in medical and trauma care.

Leadership and team coordination, including role allocation, task prioritisation, situational leadership, conflict management, and supporting team performance in dynamic environments.

Human factors and safety principles, including cognitive load, error reduction strategies, situational awareness and resilience in challenging environments.

Reflective practice using digital tools to evaluate performance, integrate feedback, and plan ongoing professional development.

This content builds on Level 4 learning and is aligned to HCPC SOPs on communication, assessment, clinical reasoning, leadership, digital capability, professional behaviour, and reflective practice; and to CoP domains for Professionalism, Patient Assessment, Clinical Skills, Human Factors, Leadership and Evidence-Informed Care.

Core Competencies for Practice (Level 5 – Must Be Evidenced in PARE)

These competencies represent the minimum standard students must meet at Level 5. They are directly informed by the HCPC SOPs (2023) and CoP Curriculum (2024) and must be taught within the module before practice placement.

1. Professional Communication and Interpersonal Competence

Clear, structured communication with service-users, families and multidisciplinary teams.

Ability to adapt communication styles based on patient need, acuity, distress, or cognitive capacity.

Effective use of clinical handover frameworks (ATMIST, SBAR).

Maintenance of dignity, consent and confidentiality in all interactions.

2. Advanced Assessment and Clinical Decision-Making Competence

Competent performance of advanced assessment techniques (ABCDE+, focused physical assessment, secondary survey).

Integration of physiological findings, patient history and deterioration indicators to form defensible decisions.

Application of JRCALC and other digital tools to support clinical reasoning.

Appropriate escalation decisions and justification of chosen management pathways.

3. Leadership, Teamworking and Scene Coordination Competence

Effective task delegation, prioritisation, and role assignment within a clinical or simulated team.

Leadership behaviours appropriate to Level 5 (assertiveness, direction, safety checking, maintaining oversight).

Management of emerging conflicts or disagreements within a team using safe and professional approaches.

Ability to maintain situational awareness and adapt decisions dynamically.

4. Safe and Professional Practice Competence

Adherence to legal, ethical and professional boundaries in all practice settings.

Safe equipment use, safe systems of work and recognition of environmental risks.

Accurate record keeping and digital documentation aligned to governance standards.

Engagement with feedback from mentors and incorporation of reflective insights into practice.

5. Reflective, Digitally Enabled Professional Development Competence

Use of digital tools to analyse performance (simulation recordings, e-portfolio updates, feedback platforms).

Production of reflective accounts demonstrating insight, critical thinking and action planning.

Ability to identify learning needs and set meaningful development goals based on experience.

Short Summary

Students must demonstrate advancing competence in professional communication, clinical assessment, decision-making, leadership and reflective practice in alignment with HCPC Standards and CoP Curriculum. These competencies form the basis of the Level 5 PARE assessment and ensure readiness for increasingly autonomous practice

Advance your clinical capability, leadership skills, and professional confidence in real and simulated practice.

This module develops your ability to communicate effectively with service-users and multidisciplinary teams, integrate advanced assessment techniques and make increasingly independent clinical decisions. You will rehearse leadership behaviours, coordinate team activities and apply human factors principles in dynamic scenarios. Through supervised practice placements and high-fidelity simulation, you will refine your judgement, enhance your situational awareness and strengthen your professional identity as you progress toward safe, effective paramedic practice.

Learning in this module is primarily undertaken in supervised clinical practice, where you will apply and develop advanced communication, assessment, and leadership skills in real patient encounters. Under the guidance of qualified practice educators, you will work within ambulance teams, contribute to patient care activities and progressively take on greater responsibility as competence and confidence increase. Practice educators will support your learning through coaching, feedback, role-modelling and structured assessment using the PARE framework.

University-based learning will complement placement experiences through targeted preparation sessions, simulation-based skill rehearsal and digital learning materials that reinforce key concepts such as advanced assessment, human factors, team coordination and safe decision-making. These activities ensure you are equipped with the necessary knowledge and core competencies before entering the clinical environment.

During placement, you will be encouraged to engage in reflective discussions, maintain accurate documentation of experiences, and use digital tools to support your ongoing development. The University’s Practice Placement Team will visit placement sites to monitor progress, provide additional guidance and ensure learning opportunities align with professional standards.

This structured approach ensures that you integrate theory with real-world experience, strengthening professional identity and preparing for increasingly autonomous practice

Griffiths, L. & Mooney, G. (2023). Professional Practice in Paramedicine. Class Professional Publishing.

A contemporary UK text covering advanced communication, assessment in practice, complex decision-making, professional conduct, team interaction and expectations for placement-based learning.

Blaber, A. (2021). Foundations of Paramedic Practice (2nd ed.). Open University Press.

Provides strong coverage of progressing from basic to advanced clinical reasoning, person-centred communication, safe practice behaviours, and applying theory in real clinical contexts.

Hughes, S. & Hughes, R. (2022). Human Factors in Paramedic Practice (Updated reprint). Class Professional Publishing.

Essential for placement learning: situational awareness, error prevention, teamwork, cognitive load, communication under pressure, and reflective practice.

Wyllie, A. & Hughes, R. (2021). Leadership and Management in Paramedic Practice. Class Professional Publishing.

Explores leadership, followership, scene management, delegation and managing dynamic clinical environments — all central to Level 5 placement expectations.

Smith, J.E. & Greaves, I. (2020). Oxford Handbook of Pre-Hospital Care (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

A comprehensive UK clinical handbook used widely in ambulance practice; supports decision-making, advanced assessment and understanding of complex patient presentations on the road.

VLE - Blackboard (Virtual Learning Environments).

Microsoft Teams

Simulation Centre

Hi Fidelity Simulation Equipment

Classrooms.

Library support.

Academic Mentor support.

Group tutorials.

Lectures.

Seminars.