Ambulance technician

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.

• Scottish Ambulance Service - How it works, about the job roles and experiences of people who use the Service

• Skills for Health - Skills standards and development for the UK health sector

• Disclosure Scotland – more about the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme