Medical

Ambulance care assistant

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

Annual Salary

£24,000 to £27,000

Working hours

37 to 42

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

3.8%
Future employment

There will be 3.8% more Ambulance care assistant jobs in 2029.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

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 may need to wear a uniform.

You could work on an ambulance.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding.

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 required to be an ambulance care assistant.

Courses include:

  • health and social care
  • T Level in Health

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 with a learning provider.

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
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Volunteering and work experience

You might find it useful to get some health or social care experience before applying for a job.

For example, you could volunteer with:

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.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

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

More information

Career tips

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

Further information

You can learn more about becoming an ambulance care assistant from Health Careers.

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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

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • 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
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