About this course
Ambulance technicians are on the frontline of healthcare, playing a vital role in emergency response teams. Working alongside emergency care assistants and paramedics, they respond to urgent calls and deliver high-quality pre-hospital care, often making life-saving differences in critical situations.
If you’re looking for a rewarding career that involves helping others at their greatest time of need, and you can stay calm under pressure, make sound decisions, and take control in emergencies, becoming an ambulance technician could be the perfect path for you.
Our Ambulance Technician Practice course at NTU Mansfield is designed to provide you with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed for this essential role in the NHS. Taught by experienced professionals, including active practitioners from East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), the course combines expert teaching with real-world experience. You’ll benefit from a mix of classroom learning, hands-on simulations in our virtual reality suite and mock hospital wards, and practical placements - ensuring you develop the expertise and resilience needed to excel in this fast-paced and life-changing career.
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The course includes a placement within the ambulance service alongside your studies, giving you hands-on experience. -
On completing this programme, you will be able to apply for employment as an ambulance technician with a UK Ambulance Trust or private provider. -
On completing the course, you may be eligible to train as a paramedic by applying for Year 2 of our BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science (subject to availability). -
You’ll be taught by an experienced teaching team, which includes active members of the East Midlands Ambulance Service.
What you’ll study
You are likely to work on a double-crewed ambulance with the potential to be the lead clinician or support a paramedic in clinical practice. You will attain many of the same skills as paramedics, such as being able to assess, triage and provide lifesaving treatment. You will have responsibility for the direct clinical care of patients, service users and their carers and significant others.
You will study 120 credits at level 4.
Foundations of Ambulance Care Practice (40 credits)
This is where you will learn practical skills that you will require whilst working on an ambulance, including critical thinking, professionalism, team building. Utilising essential equipment used to help people in real life situations. Using a range of scenarios to embed learnt knowledge. Here you will do 4 practical assessments spread over the year, to include intermediate life support, paediatric intermediate life support, maternity and trauma. You will produce a practice portfolio competing competencies gained out in the placement environment. This module fits well with the Human health and illness module as you will learn how to treat conditions and why.
Principles of Human Health & Wellbeing (40 credits)
Within this module you will learn about the human body in depth. This looks at the anatomy and physiology of humans along with the pathophysiology of diseases. This will enable the student to relate why we treat how we do within the foundations of ambulance care module. This module is assessed via a multiple choice and short answer paper and a spoken Viva.
Professional and Legal Issues (40 credits)
Here you look at ethical aspects of the job role. Consent and capacity are a large part of this module. Safeguarding of children and vulnerable people, mock coroners court day within Nottingham City Court room at NTU. All legal aspects of what you can and can not do within your job role. This is primarily classroom focused with assignments and a portfolio to complete.
We regularly review and update our course content based on student and employer feedback, ensuring that all of our courses remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or module availability in future years.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
How you're taught
Your learning will include a blend of face to face tuition at university, alongside independent activities, such as case studies or problem-based learning scenarios. You will also spend a significant amount of time on placement, predominantly alongside your practice educator within the ambulance service.
Placement
Practice placement is a compulsory component of the course and enables you to link the theory to practice and develop the necessary competences needed to become an ambulance technician. You will not be paid for this time and travel expenses are not refunded as part of the course.
You will spend a significant proportion of your time on placement working with your dedicated practice educator, who will guide and develop your skills and knowledge of the assessment and management of a wide range of clinical cases. You will follow the clinical shift patterns of your practice educator, which will include unsociable hours including days, nights, weekends and bank holidays. You will be expected to complete approximately 500 hours.
How you're assessed
Assessment methods on the course include but are not limited to:
- OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examinations) - Practical demonstrations of skills in a simulated environment
- Practice Educators observations of competency in practice
- An E-portfolio (PebblePad)
- Case studies
- Reflective accounts
- Presentations
- Academic posters
- Essays
- Multiple-choice and short-answer question exams.
- Simulated Multi-disciplinary meetings
Careers and employability
After graduating from this programme, you will be able to apply for employment as an ambulance technician with a UK Ambulance Trust or private provider. You will have the opportunity to progress to team leader, supervisor or other management roles.
Having consolidated your clinical practice, you will also be eligible to apply to train as a paramedic. This certificate allows you to apply for advanced standing entry into Year Two of our BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science (subject to availability).
Other developmental roles include but are not limited to:
- Urban Search and Rescue (USAR)
- wilderness / remote medical support
- telephone triage / 111 call advisors
- event medical technician.
If you’d like to know more about NTU’s groundbreaking Employability Promise, and the support you’ll receive both during and after your course, visit our Careers and Employability page.
Campus and facilities
You’ll mainly be studying in the Mansfield Hub's University Centre, with access to facilities including mock hospital wards, a GP consultation room and a virtual reality wall.
Mansfield offers a great (and very affordable) social scene. If you’re not already familiar with the region, Nottingham — one of Britain’s top 10 student cities, and one of Europe’s top 25 — is also just a 30-minute bus ride away. You’ll find a city stuffed with history, culture, and well-kept secrets to discover at your leisure: enjoy lush green spaces, galleries, hidden cinemas and vintage shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night.
Take our virtual tour to get a real feel for the campus.
Entry requirements
UK students
Standard offer: 64 UCAS Tariff points (excluding General Studies, Key Skills and music exams) One subject should be a natural science (Psychology is acceptable, or a health-related subject or public services).
Other requirements: Three GCSEs grade C / 4 or above including Maths, English and a Science-based subject. Passes in Functional Skills and Key Skills qualifications at level 2 in Maths and English can be accepted as equivalents.
Additional requirements for UK students
You will also need to:
- undertake an interview with a lecturer
- confirm the ability to use a range of IT facilities including email, internet, and word processing
- provide evidence of vaccination against Hep B, or undergo a vaccination programme, before any placements can be undertaken.
IELTS
If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5. Please note that the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) require IELTS 7.0 with no element below 6.5 for registration.
Alternative Entry Approaches
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
All prospective students who wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning should initially contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.
NTU we recognise the commitment and achievement required to take part in national voluntary adult and cadet programmes, particularly those with a focus on health and first aid, such as St John Ambulance, Territorial Army, Army Cadets, 999 Academy or Community Responder programme.
If you do not have 64 UCAS points, we will still consider your application if you meet the following requirements:
- You can demonstrate over two years of commitment to a programme (and were aged 15 or older when this started).
- You can provide a supporting letter of recommendation from your unit manager, youth team or commanding officer.
Please note: the GCSE entry requirements will still apply.
Mature Applicants
We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants when supported by relevant work experience.
Disclosure Barring Service
A satisfactory Enhanced DBS (Adult and Child) disclosure will also be required.
Driving Licence
Whilst a full driving licence is not a requirement for this programme, it will likely be a condition of future employment and will be beneficial when travelling to and from placements.
Occupational Health
You will be required to provide detailed health information to occupational health who will, after reviewing your evidence, assess your suitability for the role.
Personal statement
In addition to the entry requirements listed above, you will need to submit a personal statement demonstrating:
- an understanding of the role of the Ambulance Technician and current issues in pre-hospital care
- any evidence of health-related work (paid or voluntary)
- How your personal values align to the NHS Core values
Contextual offers
If you don’t quite meet our entry requirements, we might be able to make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and your individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer, and we get data from UCAS to help make these decisions. We do this because we believe everyone with the potential to succeed at NTU should have the opportunity to do so, no matter what barriers you may face.
Other qualifications and experience
NTU welcomes applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds, either for year one entry or for advanced standing beyond the start of a course into year 2 or beyond.
We consider study and/or credit achieved from a similar course at another institution (otherwise known as credit transfer), vocational and professional qualifications, and broader work or life experience.
Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route. If you wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning, please contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form.
International students
This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.
Additional requirements for international students
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Policies
We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.
