We’ve put together, what we hope will be, a helpful introduction into some of the reading material you might need and what you could expect whilst studying as an undergraduate. And for those reading this who have already battled through their first or second year (congrats!) but aren’t sure where to look for their next academic term or for when they’re out on the road, we’ve got that covered too.
Remember, students receive a 20% year-round discount on books and app subscriptions purchased via our website. Simply ask your lecturer for the code or – even better – why not become a Class VIP to receive 25% off and FREE P&P!
Are you an Eager Beaver?
Do you want to get ahead of the game and start your reading early, lay the foundations before you even start at uni?
These two titles are aimed at a lower level than paramedic but both will give you a broad overview and give you a solid foundation to build upon.
Ambulance Care Essentials, Second Edition
This second edition of Ambulance Care Essentials offers a complete guide to the skills, knowledge and understanding required to work as a support worker or similar within the ambulance service. Covering fundamental elements of the role, the book combines theoretical aspects of communication, legal and ethical issues and safeguarding with more practical areas such as manual handling, medical emergencies and a range of clinical skills. It includes in-depth chapters on the primary areas of patient assessment as well as covering different patient populations across the life course. It is an essential resource for anyone wanting to prepare themselves for a role within the ambulance service.
First Responder Care Essentials, First Edition
This textbook is aimed at a much lower level than Paramedic (it is in fact the ideal resource for Community First Responders) but works well as giving a general overview. Grounded in practice and covering the full remit of the CFR role, the book takes you through the skills that you need when working with patients. Topics range from communication skills to manual handling, trauma care and cardiac arrest.
Please Note: The majority of the content of both of these books is also included and expanded upon in Ambulance Care Practice (see Year One: A Fresher Start).
It’s time to focus on your dream. You’ll be living independently, making new friends with the same drive and goals and sharing your aspirations. It’s also time for the real work to start! But don’t worry, you won’t be expected to drive an ambulance at 50mph just yet…
As you start your first year, you’ll begin to understand the foundations and theories of paramedic science and how to apply this to your clinical practice. With the perfect mixture of interpersonal and academic skills, you’ll feel prepared for your first placement in no time. To help you achieve this, here are some texts we’d recommend for making the most of your formative first year.
JRCALC 2022 Guidelines Reference Edition and the 2021 Pocket Book
Like a dog’s not just for Christmas, JRCALC isn’t just for university – it’s for life.
The Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee Guidelines are the essential resource for Paramedics. JRCALC combines expert advice with practical guidance to help Paramedics in their challenging roles and supports them in providing patient care. The book covers a wide range of topics, from resuscitation, medical emergencies, trauma, obstetrics and medicines to major incidents, staff wellbeing and many more.
Ambulance Care Practice, Second Edition
From an emergency call to end of life care, this textbook is an essential guide for paramedic students. It provides a complete overview of the key skills, knowledge and understanding required to work at ambulance associate practitioner level or similar within the ambulance service, covering theoretical aspects and practical application, as well as a range of different clinical procedures and patient populations. Chapters include communication, mental health, patient assessment and safeguarding.
Anatomy & Physiology for Health Professionals and Anatomy & Physiology Workbook for Paramedics
As this is such a key topic in the Paramedic Science degree programme, we have two textbooks for you – one for theory, one for practice.
The Anatomy & Physiology for Health Professionals features a total of six multifaceted ‘Units’ which build upon an understanding of basic knowledge, take readers through intermediate subjects, and finally delve into complex topics that stimulate critical thinking.
UK Edited Anatomy & Physiology Workbook includes colouring and labelling activities along with self-assessment tests for virtually every structure of the human body. It offers paramedic students a better understanding of anatomy and physiology with the view that this will help inform their practice and provide the best quality of care for their patients as healthcare professionals.
Paramedic Pocket Guide, UK Edition
The Paramedic Pocket Guide will be an essential resource for you as it features common drug sections, advanced life support, trauma and updated paediatric medications. It’s also in an easy to follow, quick view layout.
Ambulance Care Clinical Skills
Visual learners – this one is for you! Packed with over 75 clinical procedures, this book is the go-to guide to familiarise yourself with the correct sequence and techniques for a range of different skills. Including both fundamental and more advanced paramedic procedures, it makes each procedure easy to understand, with detailed step-by-step guidance and full colour illustrations. Prehospital skills are explored in detail, backed by rationale and evidence, to help you understand the underlying principles and feel more confident in your practice.
Clinical ECGs in Paramedic Practice
A concise and easy-to-use guide to ECG interpretation, this book takes the complex subject of cardiac electrophysiology and presents it in a clear, full-colour format designed specifically for paramedics and those working in the out of hospital environment. Applying ECG interpretation to paramedic practice and clinical presentations, Clinical ECGs in Paramedic Practice is an essential learning resource for both students who are new to the subject as well as prehospital professionals hoping to expand and consolidate their knowledge. With a foreword by Douglas Chamberlain, the pioneer of paramedic practice, Clinical ECGs in Paramedic Practice is not to be missed.
It’s already the start of the new academic year, which means you’re a third of the way there. Woohoo!
This year, you’ll build your knowledge and confidence, expand your decision making and develop your clinical assessment skills. There will be a few tough hurdles along the way, such as understanding ECGs and preparing for an emergency birth scenario, not to mention the daunting world of ethics and legislation. But hey, we’re here to support you with all the resources you need to gain this knowledge…
Decision Making in Paramedic Practice, Second Edition
This book offers a wealth of knowledge about the importance of decision making in healthcare practice to reduce clinical risk and improve outcomes for patients. The text explores the role of the modern paramedic and of the paramedic as a critical thinker. It offers a unique perspective on clinical decision making, highlighting important aspects such as the balance between intuition and experience as well as professional issues.
This all-encompassing, four-colour text is designed to make you a fully advanced interpreter of ECGs. Level 1 provides basic information for those with minimal experience interpreting ECGs. Level 2 provides intermediate information for those with a basic understanding of the principles of electrocardiography. Level 3 provides advanced information for those with some mastery of the subject. The entire text is written in a friendly, easy-to-read tone. Additionally, the text contains real-life, full-size ECG strips that are integrated throughout the text and analysed in conjunction with the concepts they illustrate.
Emergency Birth in the Community
Childbirth – not only a life-changing experience for the mother, but also for you as a Paramedic in an emergency situation; this book is designed to make it a little less daunting. It will be an essential resource for you as a Paramedic, should you come into contact with emergency birth. The book has been specifically adapted from the official JRCALC Guidelines, the established standard for pre-hospital care. For this unique publication, many topics have been expanded upon, including Maternal Resuscitation, Umbilical Cord Prolapse, Shoulder Dystocia and Post-partum Haemorrhage.
Law & Ethics for Paramedics, Third Edition
Written by paramedics, for paramedics, it includes chapters on information governance, mental capacity, clinical negligence and medical research, with a specific focus on legislation and case law across the United Kingdom. Practical top tips are outlined in chapters focusing on paramedic use of social media, gaining consent and the assessment and treatment of children. Realistic case studies prompt the reader to consider the legislation relating to mental health, medicines management as well as palliative and end of life care.
You’re almost at the finishing line! Time for the final push …
Exploring complex fields of paramedic practice, your final year will entail more clinical assessments and decision making, as well as recognising the leader in yourself. Freshers feels like yesterday, but that timid student has long gone since you now have the confidence in your acquired skills which will inspire and enable the learning of others.
Practice Education in Paramedic Science
Designed to serve as both an introductory resource as well as a text which may support your existing knowledge, Practice Education in Paramedic Science is a clear and easy-to-use guide for would-be registered paramedics hoping to become practice educators as well as those already taking on board the practice educator role. While this is something you might use more post-university, it’s important to have a sound understanding of the practice educator role within the paramedic profession, as many universities include modules on practice education within their degree programme.
Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS), UK Edition
This UK localised edition continues the PHTLS mission to promote excellence in trauma patient management by all clinicians involved in the delivery of prehospital care through global education. PHTLS promotes critical thinking as the foundation for providing quality care. It is based on the belief that prehospital clinicians make the best decisions on behalf of their patients when given a solid foundation of knowledge and key principles to fuel their critical-thinking skills.
Paediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals, UK Edition
Paediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) is the leading training course on the care of children in emergency and community settings written by the American Academy of Pediatrics. In the first ever United Kingdom edition, the book has been expanded and brought in line with guidance from the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Authority, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Resuscitation Council UK.]
Geriatric Education For Emergency Medical Services (GEMS)
Geriatric Education For Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) is a course designed to prepare EMS practitioners to respond to the unique challenges and needs of an older patient. The course aims to empower practitioners with geriatric specific training to help them improve the medical outcomes and quality of life for these patients.
Arrhythmia Recognition: The Art of Interpretation, Second Edition
Arrhythmia Recognition: The Art of Interpretation teaches you how to interpret a rhythm strip using foundational concepts and a step-by-step approach. Presented in an unintimidating, conversational writing style, this textbook facilitates understanding of this complex subject. This text is appropriate for anyone who wishes to learn how to accurately interpret arrhythmias. Students gain a solid understanding of electrophysiology and pathophysiologic mechanisms in the heart, and learn how to apply this knowledge to the rhythm strip.
Palliative and End of Life Care for Paramedics, Second Edition
In your role as a paramedic, you’ll frequently encounter patients who are receiving palliative or end of life care. As professionals whose training focuses on saving lives, how can you help patients who are approaching the end of theirs?
Published earlier this year, Palliative and End of Life Care for Paramedics provides a comprehensive overview of palliative and end of life care and how it fits in with the role of the paramedic. Bringing together a range of authors, including paramedics and palliative care specialists, the book covers relevant aspects of caring for patients at the end of life. Topics include philosophy, ethics and psychosocial factors as well as how to deal with palliative care emergencies, symptom control and caring for the dying patient. It also covers enhanced communication skills and how to support relatives and loved ones along with a chapter on professional resilience as a paramedic and coping with death.
Human Factors in Paramedic Practice, Second Edition
Human factors is a scientific discipline which is used to understand the interacting elements and design of a complex system, aimed at improving system performance and optimising human well-being.
This brand new book, publishing in September 2020, is a helpful and informative guide, providing frontline paramedics and ambulance clinicians with practical advice and knowledge of human factors that will be helpful in supporting safe and effective practice for all involved. Above all, it shows how an understanding and application of human factors principles can enhance system performance and well-being, and ultimately lead to safer patient care.
We told you all that hard work would be worth it! Congratulations, you’ve totally earned those paramedic epaulets and can now wear them with pride.
You can now put everything you have learnt into practice, make solid partnerships with your new colleagues and gain valuable, practical experience.
You will now be required to continue your professional development (CPD). We have apps and resources to support you with this, be it keeping your CPD log, specialising in a particular field or having the best quick reference guides to hand on the road.
Emergency Ambulance Response Driver’s Handbook
This third edition of the Emergency Ambulance Response Driver’s Handbook is the essential resource for all professional drivers of ambulances. It provides drivers with a safe and effective basis for their driving practice as well as an understanding of how to minimise any risk to ambulance drivers, passengers and other road users. It’s designed to serve as both an introductory resource for self-learning or alongside a training course, as well as a text which can help to refresh and enhance your existing knowledge. This book forms a vital part of the training of any driver of emergency response vehicles.
PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Military Edition
On the battlefield, seconds count. PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Military Edition teaches and reinforces the principles of rapidly assessing a trauma patient using an orderly approach, immediately treating life-threatening problems as they are identified, and minimising any delays in initiating transport to an appropriate destination
Advanced Medical Life Support, UK Edition
Advanced Medical Life Support (AMLS) is the leading course for prehospital practitioners in advanced medical assessment and treatment of commonly encountered medical conditions. Taught throughout the world since 1999, AMLS was the first EMS education program that fully addressed how to best manage patients in medical crises. This UK-localised version of AMLS has been thoroughly reviewed to ensure its accuracy and relevance to the UK market. As paramedics are continuously playing an ever-increasing role in the recognition and management of a wide range of patient conditions, this course is perfectly aligned to the development of the paramedic role in the UK.
Dermatology: A Quick Reference Guide
Covering many aspects of dermatology, this brand new handy and comprehensive aid is packed with key information on skin problems including quick reference treatment guidelines and an A–Z of common skin conditions seen in primary care.
Topics include: the integumentary system; anatomy and physiology; how skin is affected by infection, ageing and ethnicity; skin healing and wound management; describing skin conditions; pharmacology; eczema and dermatitis; fungal infections; acne vulgaris; evaluation of melanoma and pigmented lesions; common skin conditions in primary care.
And of course, these aren’t all the textbooks we offer; there’s a whole host of titles for you to explore on our website as well…
Did you know we don’t just offer books? We also publish digital solutions for your reference and learning on the go!
iCPG is a digital version of the official JRCALC guidelines for ambulance service practitioners. It allows emergency services staff to access up-to-date guidance on medical conditions and drug dosages at all times and therefore helps to ensure best patient care.
JRCALC Plus allows individual ambulance services to combine the national guidelines with their regional information. The app detects which trust a user is affiliated with based on their email address. Once you’ve graduated and are out on the road, you will no doubt be provided with JRCALC Plus by your Trust.
ParaPass gives you access to hundreds of multiple choice quiz questions on the JRCALC Guidelines and paramedic practice, ParaPass provides a wealth of quick, straightforward resources to support your learning and CPD on the move. There are discounts available to all students so ask your lecturer for details.
The ParaFolio app is a new CPD management tool for organising your portfolio for audit. At the moment, the app is only available to select Trusts who have signed up to the product. ParaFolio will be rolled out more widely in a future phase of the development. You can read our latest news about the development process here.
Did you know we also offer Student Inductions? Whether in-person or virtual, we’re always happy to chat with students about our titles – ask your lecturer to get in touch with us as ContactUs@class.co.uk!
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There may be copious amounts of caffeine involved but we know you can do it and we’re here to support you all of the way!