Study Guide

Description

Paramedicine Education Values

The paramedic is an emergency care and paramedicine specialist who approaches their work with a focus on customers and patients. They possess extensive technical skills and competencies that span various stages of a multiprofessional care pathway. The professional expertise of a paramedic is grounded in nursing and medical sciences, applying the principles of these disciplines, and incorporating insights from fields such as social and behavioral sciences. Paramedics and equipped with strong collaborative skills, encompassing interpersonal, leadership, and communication abilities.
In the realm of paramedicine learning, the emphasis lies on reflective, critical, and ethical assessment of existing knowledge and practices, along with the acquisition of new insights and scrutiny of personal attitudes. The learning process acknowledges the complexity of reality and embraces diverse ways of understanding. The motivation for learning is derived from the fundamental competence requirements within the profession. The value foundation of the paramedic degree program is built upon the principles of respecting human dignity and individual rights, maintaining confidentiality, demonstrating responsibility, and upholding high standards of professional conduct.

Progression and content of studies

The bachelor’s degree in Paramedicine encompasses the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, and individuals completing the Nursing degree are legalized by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) under the Health Care Professionals Act (559/94). Paramedics attain legal recognition as healthcare professionals with the registered nurse status. The Emergency Nursing program aligns with the European Union Directive (2013/55/EU) requirements for the recognition of professional qualifications. The Paramedicine degree is classified as a professionally oriented bachelor-level higher education degree.
The curriculum for the Paramedicine program, which includes the Nursing degree, is built upon nationally and European defined unified competence requirements for nurses. These competencies encompass professionalism and ethics, patient-centeredness, communication and multidisciplinary collaboration, health promotion, leadership and employee competence, information technology and documentation, guidance and teaching competence, and support for self-care. Additionally, it covers clinical nursing, evidence-based practice, utilization of research knowledge and decision-making, entrepreneurship and development, quality assurance, social and health service systems, and patient and client safety.
The Paramedicine degree incorporates national competency requirements, focusing on core competencies in emergency care. These include acute care-focused nursing, providing care for patients requiring urgent treatment, assessing the care needs of non-urgent patients, collaboration with authorities and operational leadership, evidence-based practice and decision-making, ethics, professionalism, and the delivery of social and healthcare services to homes.

The Paramedicine education curriculum also considers future competencies, emphasizing work-life-based generic skills, individualized care competencies, the utilization of digital solutions and well-being technology in both prehospital emergency care and clinical nursing, effective communication, genomic knowledge, and principles of service professions. Students are expected to recognize and apply sustainable development principles in their profession. The curriculum encompasses a broad spectrum of both nursing and emergency care, enabling paramedics to assist suddenly ill or critically injured patients in hospitals and various non-hospital settings. Paramedics are equipped to support the health of individuals, conduct comprehensive examinations, provide treatment and guidance to the sick and their families as well as transport and guide clients to further care. The competence development of an emergency nursing student is a gradual process, organized into three distinct phases, with approximately 60 credits completed each year. The Paramedicine program is conducted in Finnish on a full-time basis, featuring some courses delivered in a multidisciplinary format. The program includes 15 credits of common social and health studies. While most courses are conducted in Finnish, there are opportunities for some courses to be offered in English, and students can participate in various projects and initiatives.
In the initial phase, which spans the first semester, paramedicine students acquire fundamental knowledge in both nursing and paramedicine professions. They learn to adhere to healthcare legislation and ethical guidelines specific to nursing and paramedicine. Students develop the skills to observe basic human functions, identify nursing needs in patients, and safely apply appropriate nursing assistance methods. The curriculum also covers safe medication administration, mastery of medication calculations, and proficiency in geriatric nursing. Additionally, students gain an awareness of diversity within study and work communities and acquire a basic understanding of genomics.
In the middle phase, spanning semesters 2-5 students in the Paramedicine program deepen their clinical expertise across various nursing areas. They become adept at identifying nursing needs for patients/clients of different ages, planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing interventions in collaboration with patients/clients and their families. Students develop the ability to anticipate individual and community health problems, utilize knowledge from diverse disciplines as a foundation for their actions, guide and support patients/clients in self-care, and leverage patient-centered digital social and healthcare services. They learn to function in multidisciplinary collaboration, serving as representatives of nursing care in the best interest of patients/clients, and are equipped to critically assess their work.
During this phase, students also acquire basic competence in paramedicine. They gain an understanding of the tasks of emergency medical services within the patient care pathway. Students can systematically examine emergency patients, assess their care needs, establish a working diagnosis, and perform essential prehospital patient care methods. They also master the safe use of communication, information, and reporting in prehospital emergency care and acquire knowledge of the fundamentals of safe emergency driving.
In the sixth, seventh, and eight semesters, students’ competence in the Paramedicine program strengthens and deepens. As advanced-level paramedics, they can make ethically sound, evidence-based decisions and acting professionally. They are proficient in caring for acutely ill patients in emergency departments and intensive care units, independently assessing the condition of suddenly ill or injured patients and providing emergency care. Students can manage emergency situations and lead paramedicine responses. They demonstrate readiness to enhance their professional skills and contribute to the development of prehospital emergency care in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Students are adept at critically assessing their work and can deepen their expertise in paramedicine through a thesis.
The Paramedicine program incorporates supervised practical training totaling 75 credits, involving authentic client/patient contacts in various environments. The training periods are designed to be diverse, covering different areas of nursing and prehospital emergency care.
The program also includes studies in English and Swedish, as well as five credits of elective studies. Students have the option to cross-enroll in the Tampere Universities Network of Tampere (TUNI).

The Pedagogical basis of the paramedicine program

The pedagogical foundation of the Paramedicine program is rooted in the principles of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK): learner-centeredness, community and participatory learning, sustainable future, expertise in workplace development, and digitalization and internationalization.
Learner-centeredness is a key focus in the Paramedicine program, which employs diverse teaching methods and offers flexible development opportunities. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on work-life-based learning environments, adopting a competence-based approach. Students benefit from the flexibility to engage in various learning methods, fostering their active participation and agency in the learning process. The program encourages the integration of preciously acquired knowledge into emergency nursing studies.
Teaching in paramedicine encompasses various methods across different learning environments. Pedagogical approaches include face-to-face teaching, small-group teaching, blended learning, hybrid teaching, scheduled or unscheduled online teaching, independent study, simulations, skill workshops, and supervised practical training. Multidisciplinary teams are involved in the teaching process.
Students are provided with opportunities to deepen their expertise and participate in English-language teaching, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, students can engage in other internationally implemented studies and undertake guided internships internationally.
The pedagogy of the Paramedicine program places a strong emphasis on collaborative learning, with a focus on community and participatory learning. The goal is to support the communal and cognitive work of the student group, centering teaching around collectively considered and ethically sustainable solutions. Activities and learning environments and designed to equally support diversity and accessibility.
In the context of future higher education, sustainable development refers to learning that transforms the fundamentals of existence, reshaping our understanding and perceptions of the interdependence between humans and nature, factors contributing to well-being, and the role of the economy in the global society and community.
The Paramedicine program actively engages in collaboration with the working world. Ongoing dialogue with the working world enables the program to respond comprehensively to the changing and evolving competence needs within the professional sphere. This collaboration ensures that the program remains attuned to the dynamic requirements of the working world.

Principles of completing studies

During first and second semesters, the student must complete 30 credits before transferring to the third semester. This includes the successful completion of the Medication and Medication Calculation course.
Before the second internship, the student must participate in the infection prevention, medication, medication calculation, and basic nursing skills course. Additionally, the students must participate in the course related to the area of nursing implemented during supervised training. The paramedic students’ internship placements are considering many different areas of nursing and paramedicine.
Before starting the thesis, the student must participate in the information literacy course is necessary and completed supervised internships 1-4.
Before the advanced level paramedicine studies, the student has to have finished the basic level studies, and internship 4, basic level of paramedicine.

Objectives

Paramedic act in the best interest of the patient. As a professional paramedic assess patients’ care needs independently and work as part of a multidisciplinary team. Paramedics provide care to patients of different ages and in various environments.

Student has a strong professional identity, ethical competence and can reflect on own actions and evaluate them.

Student follow individual responsibilities of nursing while taking care of patient and the family during whole care process. Student is also able to use a variety of guidance methods in paramedicine and emergency care.

Further information

The curriculum has been officially approved on xxxxxxxx by the University Council.
The curriculum considers Finland’s health policy programs, future challenges, and TAMK’s strategy. It aligns with the Health Care Professionals Act (559/1994) and the regulation (564/1994). The curriculum is developed considering the national definition of nursing professional competence, competence classifications of the Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences, Tampere Higher Education Community’s common competencies, and the national framework for qualifications (NQF).The curriculum also considers reports on the development of social and healthcare, including those from the competence for social and healthcare project by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The program follows the European Union Directive (2013/55/EU) for the recognition of professional qualifications. Paramedicine students possess extensive and evidence-based knowledge across various domains, reinforcing the program’s commitment to providing a well-rounded education in areas crucial to emergency care and healthcare in general.