1. Practice advancing clinical skills in a simulated environment to support decision making in medical and trauma care

Application & Problem-Solving

2. Apply the Non-Technical Skills that support safe and effective practice in simulated environments

Application & Problem-Solving

Communication

3. Integrate patient observations and clinical assessments to support collaborative decision-making and demonstrate sound clinical reasoning for a range of presenting illness and injuries

Critical Reasoning and Collaboration

Assessment 1

Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

Skills Proficiency Test

Weighting: 0% (Pass/Fail)

Assesses module learning outcome 1.

This OSCE will consist of three five-minute stations designed to assess your ability to perform advancing clinical skills in both medical and trauma presentations. Each OSCE station will require you to demonstrate safe, effective and progressively independent technical practice within a simulated or laboratory environment. Examiners will evaluate your procedural accuracy, clinical prioritisation, situational awareness and professional behaviours. You will be provided with the list of possible skills to be demonstrated in the OSCE during the assessment brief and will be advised which three skills you will demonstrate on entering the exam room.

Examples may include (but are not limited to):

Advanced airway management

Complicated and uncomplicated deliveries

Needle thoracentesis

Needle cricothyroidotomy

Newborn life support

Intravenous cannulation

Intraosseous access

Each station is five minutes in duration.

You will demonstrate the allocated skill to a trained assessor in a simulated clinical environment.

Performance is measured against a binary competency checklist (Pass/Fail), assessing accuracy, safety, infection prevention, equipment handling, and adherence to professional standards.

Rationale

Building on foundational Level 4 competencies, this assessment measures your ability to execute more advancing skills relevant to contemporary paramedic practice. OSCEs allow for consistent evaluation of technical proficiency, ensuring you can demonstrate safe and reliable clinical performance before progressing to higher levels of supervised practice.

You must pass all three OSCE stations to achieve an overall pass.

Assessment 2:

Structured Patient Encounter

This is a simulation-based assessment

Weighting: 100%

Assesses module learning outcomes 2 & 3.

In this summative simulated patient encounter, you will assess, manage and reason through a complex medical or trauma scenario. You must apply appropriate non-technical skills, including communication, teamwork, leadership behaviours, situational awareness and safe escalation. You will also be required to integrate patient observations, clinical findings and guideline-informed reasoning to make independent clinical decisions. Performance will be graded and judged against national professional expectations for Level 5 paramedic students.

Rationale: This assessment enables you to demonstrate the integration of advancing clinical and non-technical skills to support increasingly autonomous decision-making. The structured simulation reflects real operational complexity and establishes readiness for enhanced practice in clinical placements.

This module develops advancing clinical and non-technical skills required for safe paramedic practice in simulated environments. Content includes:

Advancing assessment and management of medical and trauma presentations, including focused history-taking, ABCDE+, recognition of deterioration, and the safe performance of higher-level clinical skills appropriate to simulation.

Application of non-technical skills, including communication, teamwork, situational awareness, prioritisation, leadership behaviours and ethical decision-making in complex scenarios.

Integration of observations and assessment findings to support increasingly independent clinical decisions, informed by pathophysiology, current clinical guidelines and digital decision-support tools (e.g., JRCALC).

Human factors and safety principles, including managing pressure, cognitive load, conflict, and maintaining professional conduct.

Content is aligned to the HCPC Standards of Proficiency (2023) and the College of Paramedics Curriculum Framework (2024), building on Level 4 foundations to prepare you for higher-level supervised practice.

Strengthen the clinical and professional skills that prepare you for greater autonomy in paramedic practice.

This module develops your ability to assess, manage and reason through increasingly complex medical and trauma presentations in simulated environments. You will advance your clinical skills, apply non-technical skills such as communication, teamwork and situational awareness, and learn to interpret observations to inform independent clinical decisions. Through immersive simulation and focused skills development, you will enhance your confidence, accuracy and professional judgement, building on Level 4 foundations as you progress towards safe, effective practice in pre-hospital care.

Learning on this module focuses on advancing your technical and non-technical skills to prepare you for greater independence in clinical decision-making. Teaching will be delivered through lead lectures, seminars, group workshops, skills laboratories and high-fidelity simulation. These learning activities will introduce and rehearse the principles of advancing patient assessment, clinical management, human factors and guideline-informed decision-making.

Simulation scenarios will enable you to integrate communication, situational awareness and leadership behaviours with clinical skills in increasingly complex situations. Structured debriefing and reflective discussion will support you in linking performance to professional expectations and safety behaviours.

Digital learning materials within the VLE will prepare you for practical sessions and reinforce key concepts such as guideline use, risk recognition and the synthesis of patient observations. Collaborative tasks and tutor-supported rehearsal will help you refine your clinical reasoning and develop confidence in managing acutely unwell patients.

This structured approach builds on Level 4 learning and supports your progression towards safe, effective and increasingly autonomous paramedic practice.

Brown, L. (Ed.) (2023). Essentials of Paramedic Care. Class Professional Publishing.

A modern, comprehensive UK text covering advancing assessment, medical and trauma management, decision-making and the integration of clinical observations. Ideal for Level 5 skill progression.

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

Supports the development of maturing clinical reasoning, complex assessment, and safe management of scenarios encountered in simulation and practice.

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

Essential for Level 5: communication under pressure, situational awareness, team dynamics, leadership behaviours, error reduction, and safe decision-making.

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

Directly aligns to Level 5 non-technical skill development: leadership, prioritisation, conflict management, task delegation, and clinical team functioning in emergencies.

Smith, J.E. & Roberts, P. (2020). Trauma Care Manual (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

A UK trauma text detailing advancing assessment, mechanism-of-injury interpretation, and evidence-based trauma management—supports the module’s focus on progressing technical skills.

VLE - Blackboard (Virtual Learning Environments).

Microsoft Teams

Simulation Centre

Hi Fidelity Simulation Equipment

Classrooms.

Library support.

Academic Mentor support.

Group tutorials.

Lectures.

Seminars.