As of September 2021, the only way to achieve to registration as a paramedic in the UK is to obtain a bachelors degree. This is seen as a great achievement and for valid reasons, however, the model relies on vague standards and no agreed core capabilities which can lead to significant regional variation. Should PALS be the only paediatric assessment? How long should each student spend in OBGYN? What ECGs must they know before graduation? Just some of the questions we do not have the answers for.

In 2021, the presenter took to validation a bachelors degree in paramedic science with new approach - built around a set of core capabilites with each student responsible for creating evidence of their work-ready status by the end of their 3-year programme. This presentation offers a detailed exploration of the standards, capabilities and placement requirements which underpin this new programme and offers practical guidance for creating a paramedic degree with purpose. It is relatively easy to create a degree course, but ensuring every single graduate is work-ready on completion requires careful consideration of the programme structure, faculty requirements and core capabilities to be achieved.