Boost your skills with St George's, University of London

Memories of class timetables, school holidays and late night study sessions are nothing but a dim and distant memory for most professionals. But with September just around the corner, many of them are now digging out their old notepads to take full advantage of the fresh academic term and all the opportunities it brings.

Paramedic professionals looking to enhance their career options can benefit from a whole host of study options at the Centre for Paramedic Science, run by Kingston University and St George's, University of London's joint Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences.

This specialist Centre was launched last year in response to the booming number of paramedic professionals wanting to enhance their skills and career through education. It is dedicated to providing the ambulance service with improved access to top-level training and academic expertise.

"The joint Faculty's rapid expansion in professional paramedic education is a result of our positive partnership work with employers such as South East Coast Ambulance Service and London Ambulance Service. It reflects a phenomenal level of demand across the sector for qualifications to complement on-the-job experience and a far greater recognition of the way academic input can improve service delivery,"explains Fiona Ross, Dean of the Faculty.

The emergency care practitioners, paramedics and technicians who every day provide such a swift and effective response at the frontline of the National Health Service now quite rightly receive the recognition they deserve for their range of professional skills. As the NHS has modernized and evolved so too have their job roles, meaning the Centre has a vital role to play ensuring they have access to as many opportunities as possible to enhance their knowledge."

The courses offered at the Centre are designed to boost the skills of existing paramedics through a mixture of e-learning, face-to-face teaching and workbased practice. Courses are
taught at the Centre's London campus as well as several satellite sites throughout London and the South East.

And it doesn't matter if you've not been studying for a while - once you start you'll find that many of your classmates are in exactly the same position.

Paramedic Science lecturer Paul Burke says: "For many professionals, getting back to learning - on top of existing work, study and social demands - can be a daunting prospect. But the tutors here are used to teaching busy professionals and provide lots of support. In addition, considering that most participants on the courses are strangers when they start, it's always surprising to see how much support they offer each other - both in and out of the classroom."

The Centre runs courses for paramedics at different study levels, from the Accelerated In Service Foundation Degree, to the Diploma/BSc (Hons) in Health Care Practice - Emergency Care/ Paramedic Practitioner Programmes, and the Certificate/ Diploma/BSc (Hons) - Major Emergencies Programme. And for those who are keen to continue their education up to
Master's level, there is the MSc in Advanced Practice.

"The courses have been designed with the help of professionals in the field and many of them involve interprofessional study. This means that students benefit from the experiences and expertise of other healthcare professionals, including the police, fire service, nurses and coastguards," explains Paul.

• Find out more details about these courses and the doors they can open up at
www.healthcare.ac.uk