Career outlook for emergency medical dispatcher
Figures and forecasts for roles at the same level, which require similar skills and qualifications.
Average UK salary
£27,560
Currently employed in Scotland
3,200
Five year job forecast
+1.82%
"LMI for All" supplies our salary and employment status information. "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures.
What's it like?
You would be responsible for managing all emergency resources over a particular geographical area for the ambulance service.
You will need to send the right resource to the patient as quickly as possible.
You would pass on as much information as you can to the paramedics so that they will be as prepared as possible when they arrive at the patient.
You would be responsible for deciding what type of response is needed and send the nearest and most appropriate vehicle. This could be an ambulance, a rapid response car, a motorcycle or a paramedic helicopter.
You would need to work quickly and often under a lot of pressure.
You need to train as an emergency call handler before you can become an emergency dispatcher. Most jobs are in the National Health Service (NHS), working for the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The NHS salaries for these roles are covered by the Agenda for Change pay rates. You can check the salaries on the NHS Careers website.
Working conditions
Hours
Environment
UK employment status
Full-time
70%
Part-time
27%
Self employed
3%
Top skills
Here are some of the skills needed for this job. Sign in to see how your skills match up.
- Resilience
- Cooperating
- Listening
- Verbal communication
- Problem solving
- Observation
- Questioning
- Empathising
- Developing a plan
- Making decisions
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Qualifications
There are no formal qualifications required to get into the role but a good general education is valued.
Useful subjects
- English
- Maths
- Science subjects
- Care
You will also need
You will need to undertake the Emergency call handler training before you can train to become an emergency dispatcher. To do this you must be able to type at a minimum of 30 words per minute.
Helpful to have
Any qualifications and experiences that demonstrate understanding of the health sector, good administration and communication skills and the ability to remain calm under pressure, such as:
- Scottish Vocational Qualification in Customer Services (SVQ Level 2/3)
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