Diploma in Paramedic Science
The Diploma in Paramedic Science is for students who want a career in pre-hospital emergency healthcare, primarily in an ambulance setting.
After completing the Diploma in Paramedic Science you will have successfully met the requirements to work as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). This paramedicine diploma is only offered at the AUT South Campus in Manukau.
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Minimum entry requirements
If you have New Zealand qualifications
- Completion of Year 12
- Must be capable of meeting the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCA Act) and Children’s Act 2014 requirements, including police clearance
- Must be 18 years or older by the first day of semester
- Minimum requirement of a learner drivers licence to apply
If you have qualifications from another country
See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 6.0 overall with all bands 5.5 or higher; or equivalent.
Complete the following Diploma in Paramedic Science courses
Semester 1 courses
- HEAL505 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- HEAL506 Knowledge Enquiry and Communication
- PARA609 Introduction to Paramedic Practice
- PARA610 Professional Frameworks for Paramedic Theory
Semester 2 courses
- HEAL609 Human Anatomy and Physiology II
- PARA601 Pathology and Pathophysiology
- PARA604 Clinical Practice I
- PARA605 Clinical Practice II
Career opportunities in New Zealand include employment with St John, Wellington Free Ambulance services, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and other pre-hospital medical providers.
An emergency medical technician administers pre-hospital emergency care – looking after patients during the time between when an ambulance locates the patient and when that patient arrives at the hospital or treatment centre. EMTs are required to provide a high level of professional medical care to patients under a variety of circumstances.
Responsibilities of an EMT include
- Attend accidents and emergencies
- Treat sick and injured people
- Stabilise the patient’s condition by delivering basic life support care of the injured and medically unwell
- Transport patients and accident victims to medical facilities
- Liaise with other emergency services, including fire and police, at the scene of an emergency
- Ensure the ambulance and equipment are kept clean and in good working condition
- Ensure that patient coursework is complete and kept confidential
- Transfer non-emergency patients to and from medical facilities
- Work a roster pattern with day and night shifts
- Provide a high level of professional medical care to patients under all circumstances
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
($7,726 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
($42,300 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
- Fees-free study may be available for domestic students
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.