Ambulance care assistant

Ambulance care assistants take patients to and from hospitals and medical centres for appointments and treatment.

Also known as: Patient transport service driver, ambulance staff

• Starter salary£25,000 a year
• Experienced£27,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 42 a week

What you'll do

As an ambulance care assistant, you could:

• transfer patients to and from appointments
• lift and help patients in and out of the vehicle
• make sure patients are safe and secure during journeys
• settle patients back at home after their appointment
• keep in touch with the ambulance control room, using a radio
• carry out basic vehicle checks, and maintain medical supplies and equipment
• keep accurate records of journeys

Working environment

You could work on an ambulance.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• sensitivity and understanding
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• customer service skills
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• excellent verbal communication skills
• thinking and reasoning skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a ambulance care assistant

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

You could take a college course to learn some of the knowledge and skills needed to become a trainee ambulance care assistant.

Courses include:

• health and social care
• T Level in Health

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Ambulance Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, with an ambulance service.

This can take between 12 and 18 months to complete and combines on-the-job training and study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Volunteering

You'll find it useful to get some health or social care experience before applying for jobs.

For example, you could find opportunities through:

• NHS Volunteering
• the British Red Cross
• St John Ambulance

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs.

You'll need:

• driving experience
• knowledge of the local area and ability to use a vehicle navigation system
• experience of working with elderly, sick or vulnerable people

Some ambulance services may ask for 3 or 4 GCSEs, including English and maths at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent qualifications .

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• have a full driving licence
• pass enhanced background checks
• have a good level of fitness

You may need a Category C1 licence or C1 provisional to drive an ambulance, depending on when you passed your original driving test. Check with the service you're applying to for details.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could:

• become a team leader or supervisor
• train to be an emergency care assistant
• apply to be a student paramedic
• move into personnel, training, health and safety, or control room work

Career tips

You can search for vacancies on NHS Jobs, or contact your nearest ambulance service trust .

Guides for this industry

• Health & Social Care: pay, interviews and getting started →

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• Job roleEmergency medical dispatcher
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• Job roleCare worker

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