There is no compulsory reading prior to the course starting, but if you are keen to do some before you arrive we would recommend being familiar with the HCPC Standards of Performance, Conduct & Ethics and the Standards of Proficiency for Paramedics.

It may also be a good idea to look at the College of Paramedics website.

If you would like to do some Anatomy & Physiology revision we would recommend BBC Bitesize Podcast Series for basic human biology systems.

Thursday 10 September

• 10:00 – 17:00
• Start day in room ST111

IMPORTANT: Please bring your photo ID with you on this date to complete enrolment.

Friday 11 September

• 0900 – 11.00
• Start day in room HI001

We will distribute the timetable for the remainder of the welcome week at the first session.

The Induction week will be a mixture of activities with the wider SoNAH (School of Nursing and Allied Health) course participants and with your individual cohort.

There will be cohort sessions for you to meet each other and your course staff and to get to know each other We will also introduce you to your personal tutors and paramedic science students in other years. We will also providing a lot of key information during the week including: Student Success Support, Library and IT Access, course structure and Requirements, how the course works, Online Learning Platform and how to find information about your course. There will also be University Fairs, Extracurricular and Social Activities, Sports, Bookstalls and more.

The week will be key in orientating you to the University and to how it all works and we look forward to meeting you all.

As part of the course, you will be provided with practice placements. Details regarding time commitment involved for these placements will be provided by the subject area at a later point.

For on campus activities students are split into groups at enrolment. Each group will have its own timetable where some aspects can change on a weekly basis. Normally classes will be distributed across 3 to 4 days per week between 9.00-18.00.

For Paramedic Science the on-campus days in semester 1 are:

• Monday
• Tuesday
• Thursday
• Friday.

Full details of your individual academic timetable, including Semester 2 timetable which may differ, will be available via your university email calendar after you have completed the pre-arrival task online and set up your student login.

In Semester 1, you will be introduced to the following modules:

• Introduction to Professional Healthcare Practice (interprofessional module)
• Human Function (Anatomy & Physiology)
• Person-centered Assessment
• Practice Education (later in the semester we will begin to prepare for placement)
• Moving & Handling People Sessions (part of Practice Education)

All the modules are taught face-to-face on campus and and are a mix of theory and practice sessions. Outside of the sessions, you will be guided to undertake your pre session and post session tasks via Moodle to support your learning.

During Semester 1 you will also experience your first practice education block which will be a two-week ‘care-based’ placement where you will be able to put some of the theory you are learning into practice.

For THIS semester your timetabled days will be:

• Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for teaching weeks.

However some weeks may be different from others e.g. practice education weeks, simulation weeks and assessment weeks.

* Semester Two teaching sessions may be on different days

A full programme will be given to you in Introductory week so that will know which weeks are different from normal timetabled weeks.

Jane Cresswell – Programme Lead

Jane has extensive experience as a frontline paramedic having trained in 1999 through the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) first as an Ambulance Technician, progressing to Paramedic, Advanced Paramedic and Clinical Team Mentor. She has been a Practice Placement Facilitator for many years and has trained as an instructor within WMAS, receiving a Chief Officers Commendation for her ole on delivering a large scale teaching programme to clinical staff. She also taught as Visiting Lecturer for many years at Coventry University on various paramedic and emergency care programmes. She has moved from full time clinical practice to Birmingham Newman University in 2023 to develop and deliver the new Paramedic Science BSc programme.

She has also qualified as a Helicopter Emergency Services Paramedic (HEMS) with Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (TAAS) and worked as a Critical Care Paramedic during her career.

She completed a Master of Science Degree in Advanced Critical Care Practice at the University of Warwick in 2017, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education in 2024.

Jane was nominated for Academic Staff Member of the Year in the Newman Student Union Awards in 2025 and 2026.

Karen Gubbins – Senior Lecturer

Karen Gubbins is a senior lecturer within the Paramedic Science team, who sit in the School of Nursing and Allied Health. Karen has been a qualified Paramedic since 1998, after joining West Midlands Ambulance Service in 1996. Prior to joining Birmingham Newman University, Karen worked at Birmingham City University (BCU) as Senior Lecturer for nearly six years, as Course Director for two of the six years, and as a Senior Lecturer at University of Worcester (UoW) for eleven years prior to working at BCU.

Whilst working for West Midlands Ambulance Service, Karen worked as a first line supervisor, then later as an instructor within the training department. Whilst working in the latter role, she was fortunate to be asked to work with the Rotary Club which had links to the Rotary Club in Pune, India, who were setting up an ambulance service. She spent 8 weeks educating nurses and doctors in the UK, then travelled to India to continue the education and training on site there.

Karen was nominated for the “I am BCU awards” of Personal Tutor of the Year and, Inspirational Tutor of the Year in 2021, which was a huge honour.

Karina Graham – Senior Lecturer

Karina joins the teaching team from clinical practice as a frontline paramedic in West Midlands Ambulance Service, where she remains undertaking a clinical shift weekly, and in a teaching role at the university the remainder of the time. She has completed an MSc in Research.

Lucia Andrews – Lecturer

Lucia has a background in clinical practice in the London and South East area, along side teaching Paramedic Science at university and research interests. She is currently undertaking doctoral studies and teaching on the Paramedic Science course here at Birmingham Newman University.