Medical and Paramedical Sciences
Medical & Paramedical Sciences
Medical Sciences at ECU offers a range of undergraduate courses including Biomedical Science, Human Biology and Paramedical Science, which can lead to careers in medicine, medical science, research, and emergency medical services.
Our laboratory facilities house state‑of‑the‑art equipment and our courses provide access to theoretical and practical methods of learning to ensure students are job‑ready when they graduate.
ECU Paramedical Science: Teaching Students Through Real-Life Simulations
Our Paramedical Science course provides students with practical, hands-on learning, not only through its links with St John Ambulance, but also via a variety of "real‑life" simulations.
Throughout the year, "mass casualty" exercises are held both on and off‑campus, and feature "real-life" victims suffering with a range of medical conditions who await medical assessments and recommended treatments from second and third year Paramedical Science students.
ECU's Partnerships Ensure the Road is Open for Medical Science Students
At ECU, we engage with commercial and research interests in the fertility industry. Both Concept Fertility Centre and Fertility North are set to provide Medical Sciences students with a range of educational opportunities including the chance to participate in research projects, receive lectures from scientific directors and, most recently, undertake workplace internships as part of their third‑year course.
ECU Welcomes a New Science Course
Commencing in Semester 1 2013, ECU's new Bachelor of Medical Science degree is a three-year course that can be studied full‑time or part-time, providing pathways to medicine and other health professions, medical research and diagnostics, and the health industry.
Medical Science at ECU is a laboratory-based course where students have access to world-class laboratories equipped with the latest and most advanced technology available.
Medical Science Students Learn in State-of-the-Art Facilities
Our human biology laboratories have ample resources in the areas of microbiology, genetics, histology and biochemistry.
Human Biology students have access to microbiology equipment for the isolation, purification and identification of microbiological organisms, and genetic equipment for the extraction, purification and amplification of DNA. Electrophoresis apparatus, fluorescent microscopes and digital imaging apparatus are also available, in addition to a fully‑equipped histology laboratory.
Bravery Award for ECU Paramedical Science Student
In June 2010, our Paramedical Science student Donelle Carver was called to an incident involving a man who had fallen down a concrete pump shaft at a construction site, resulting in life-threatening injuries.
Without hesitation, Donelle applied the skills and emergency training she learned throughout her Paramedical Science qualification, venturing ten metres down the shaft via a local contractor's dogman cage to secure and help free the patient by pulling him into the cage. Donelle then provided additional medical assistance to the patient on the flight to Royal Perth Hospital.
Local trauma surgeon Dr Sudhaka Rao noted that Donelle's actions, in all likelihood, saved the patient's life. Furthermore, St John Ambulance awarded her with the St John Ambulance Award for Bravery.
Paramedical Science ‑ Accreditation First
We were the first university in Australasia to undergo a site visit and attain provisional accreditation of our Paramedical Science degree by the Interim Paramedic Education Programs Committee.
The accreditation was awarded by the Council of Ambulance Authorities and the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals.
Opportunities for Real‑Life Experience
As a result of the alliance between St John Ambulance and ECU , whilst working for St John, our Paramedical Science student Dylan Meldrum was awarded the ACAP William Bryant Scholarship.
The scholarship enabled Dylan to attend a specialised "Trauma Conference" held in Sydney in 2007 featuring presentations and workshops on pre-hospital trauma, burns, airway management and post‑trauma surgery.
Being in his second year of study whilst at the conference, Dylan said that the scholarship offered him early and additional exposure to pre-hospital trauma situations, assisting him throughout the remainder of his degree, and subsequently on the job as a paramedic.
Human Biology and Human Genetics facilities
Students within our Human Biology discipline have access to ample resources for the areas of microbiology, genetics, histology and biochemistry. Generous equipment enables our human biology students to work individually and at their own pace:
- For microbiology, we have a a range of equipment for the isolation, purification and identification of microbiological organisms
- Equipment for the extraction, purification and amplification of DNA is also available: the School has PCR machines, electrophoresis apparatus (agarose and fluorescent and radio-isotope polyacrylamide equipment), fluorescent microscopes and digital imaging apparatus
- There is a fully-equipped histology laboratory, with automatic tissue processing facilities for wax and plastic embedding as well as facilities for microtomy, ultramicrotomy and cryosectioning, is available
- Students have access to the modern analytical techniques and equipment necessary for biochemical investigation, such as spectrophotometers