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Emergency care assistants collect and look after people in need of emergency care.
An emergency care assistant responds to emergency calls alongside a paramedic. You will use expert emergency driving skills to get to people quickly, help provide them with potentially life-saving care, and, when needed, get patients to hospital quickly and safely.
Emergency care assistants are often exposed to distressing situations, supporting people who are badly hurt and traumatised.
Responsibilities
Under the direct supervision of the paramedic, you'll carry out essential emergency care such as controlling severe bleeding, treating wounds, and using a defibrillator to resuscitate patients with heart failure
Driving emergency vehicles (usually an ambulance)
Working with control room staff to keep other medical teams, fire and rescue services, and police aware of critical situations
Career progression
You can progress in this team to become a team leader or supervisor, managing a group of emergency care assistants
You can train to become a paramedic
You may transfer to a desk-based role such as training, health and safety, or operational management
Key information
Typical salary: £18,000 to £24,000 (37.5 hours per week)
Often includes shift work (days, nights, weekends, bank holidays)
Up to 27 days annual leave
No qualifications or prior experience needed, including GSCEs, A-Levels, or BTECs
Must have a full, manual driving license when you apply. You will be trained on how to drive an ambulance vehicle
Must be willing to wear a uniform
Must have the right to work in the UK
Eligible for NHS worker discounts
"I was kind of lost, I didn’t know where I was going. The Prince’s Trust came along like ‘we have this gateway for you to get into care work’ which was definitely what I wanted to get into. I'd definitely recommend it."Ché