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Ambulance care assistant

Alternative titles for this job include Patient transport service driver, ambulance staff

Ambulance care assistants take patients to and from hospital for appointments.

Average salary (a year)

£18,545 Starter

to

£21,776 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

43 to 45 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

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How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become an ambulance care assistant

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly

College

You could do a college qualification that would give you some of the knowledge and skills required in this role, for example:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Health and Social Care
  • T level for Supporting Healthcare

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level

More Information

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through an advanced apprenticeship as an ambulance support worker.

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

More Information

Volunteering

You may have an advantage if you've worked or volunteered in a health or social care role. You could contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for advice about this.

Organisations like Do It can help you to find volunteering opportunities.

First aid work would also be useful, for example with St John Ambulance or the British Red Cross.

Direct Application

You can apply directly for jobs. You'll need:

  • driving experience
  • the ability to read maps and knowledge of the local area
  • experience of working with the elderly or disabled people

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

If you passed your test after 1996, you may need an extra driving qualification for larger vehicles and for carrying passengers.

More Information

Further information

You can find out about becoming an ambulance care assistant from Health Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

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 carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

You may:

  • help patients out of their home and into the ambulance (it may involve lifting)
  • settle patients back at home after their appointments
  • use a radio to keep in touch with the ambulance control room
  • check and maintain the ambulance and its 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.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a team leader or supervisor. You could also become an emergency care assistant or apply to be a student paramedic.

You could also move into personnel, training, health and safety, or operations management.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for an ambulance care assistant right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

NCFE CACHE Cert Health and Social Care L2 (19+)

  • Provider: TYNE COAST COLLEGE
  • Start date: 01 September 2021
  • Location: South Shields

Level 2 Apprenticeship Standards - Healthcare Support Services

  • Provider: WAKEFIELD COLLEGE
  • Start date: 01 September 2021
  • Location:
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