Ambulance technician
Drive an ambulance to emergencies and help paramedics treat sick and injured people.
Also known as: emergency care assistant
About the job
Salary
Source: LMI for All
Weekly
£560
Average
Monthly
£2,426
Average
Yearly
£29,120
Average
3,700
people are currently employed
High growth
300 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would work alongside an ambulance paramedic to care for sick and injured people in a range of situations.
You’d use advanced driving skills to respond rapidly and safely to medical emergencies. You’d lift and move patients by hand and using specialist equipment.
You would:
Carry out basic scene safety checks to assess the risk to yourself and other people
Assess, treat and monitor the patients that you attend
Make decisions about the right care for the patient
Contact the emergency control centre to ask for more support
Safely transfer patients to and from the ambulance
Complete a handover report with a record of all patient information
Check that your ambulance is roadworthy and fully stocked after every call
Make sure your ambulance is cleaned – particularly to prevent the spread of infections – after every call
On the way to an emergency, you may not have much information about the exact circumstances. You would need to judge the situation and make quick decisions when you arrive.
You’d talk and listen to the patients and their relatives who may be upset, scared and angry. You’d need to treat everyone with dignity and respect in often challenging circumstances.
You’d work closely with other emergency services, relevant authorities and health and social care professionals.
Most jobs are in the National Health Service (NHS), working for the Scottish Ambulance Service. You can see more about this role in the National Health Service on the ambulance technician page on the NHS Scotland Careers website. See the learning and development section for information about career structures, progression and rates of pay.
Hours
Environment
Travel
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- taking responsibility
- making decisions
- filtering
- social conscience
- questioning
- problem solving
- verbal communication
- listening
- resilience
- adaptability
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Biology
Care
Human Biology
You would need to complete the Diploma in Emergency Care Support and the Diploma for Associate Ambulance Practitioners. You'll also need an additional four weeks' driving training to accident and emergency standard.
You will need National 4s or Standard Grades in Maths and English. Alternatively you can undertake an online numeracy and literacy test.
Any qualifications that demonstrate an understanding of health and wellbeing such as:
Health and Social Care (SCQF Level 6)
SQA Wellbeing Award (SCQF Level 3-5)
Some experience in care work.
To pass the Scottish Ambulance Service entrance test including a fitness test
A full current UK driving licence including category C1, with no more than three points
To be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland
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