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Charlotte Haye 14th May 2020

Want to be an Ambulance Driver? Here’s the Licence You Need

Being a paramedic driver is one of those careers that has always been popular. And for good reason. Ask any ambulance driver why they became one in the first place, and they’ll tell you it’s an amazingly rewarding career, where no two days are the same, you learn as you earn, and while there are some lows, there are also some amazing highs. There is a level of teamwork and camaraderie among ambulance drivers that you rarely find anywhere else, and even when you leave the job behind, that family stays with you for life. To be honest, when we put it like that, it’s less of a job, and more of a calling. And with Covid-19 shining a light on just how valuable medical staff – including paramedics and ambulance drivers – are, there has never been a better time to start your new career. Looking for tips to help pass the HGV theory test? Look no further, we’ve got your covered!

How Long Does It Take To Become An Ambulance Driver?

Be warned, becoming an ambulance driver isn’t a quick thing. For starters, all ambulance drivers are required to also be trained paramedics. So you will need to go through a lot of medical training in order to achieve it. This is usually done in parts, split between traditional schooling and working on the job part time to gain experience and learn how to deal with stressful situations. On average it takes around 5 years to complete paramedic driver training, and by the end of it you have either a degree or a diploma of higher education in paramedic science.

What Training Do I Need?

On top of all that medical training, you will also need to get the relevant HGV drivers licence as well. This is because ambulances are classified as HGVs, so you need to know how to operate them properly and, most importantly, safely! To be specific, you’ll need a C1 licence, which lets you drive any vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes (a modern ambulance weight 5 tonnes). And before you say it, no, you can’t opt to be a paramedic and not get this license. Every paramedic has to be able to drive an ambulance. While there isn’t necessarily a set shift involved in the work, you will be asked to take your turn behind the wheel – which is why you need a C1 licence as standard. The best way to do this? Sign up with a reputable driver training centre, which will allow you to fit your training around your paramedic training, or you could opt for an intensive training course, which could have you qualified in as little as 5 days.

Where Can I Train?

So, there are two sides to the paramedic training – the medical side and the driver side. For the medical side, there are a number of universities across the country that offer paramedic training, so you can pretty much choose the one closest or most desirable for you. For example, the following all have excellent paramedic programmes:

The University of Greenwich, in London
Edge Hill University, in Manchester
Birmingham City University, in Birmingham
The University of East Anglia, in Norwich
The University of West England, in Bristol

That’s by no means the full list – but it does cover a wide area of the UK and gives you a place to start. With a little research, you could easily find a university offering the course you want.

What Could I Earn?

This is, of course, the big question, and it’s one that changes over time. But generally, a paramedic driver can earn around £29K a year when they are freshly qualified, and that amount can go up to around £36K one you have a little more experience on the job. So not only is being an ambulance driver a really rewarding career path, but you can earn a really good salary as well. So all n all, not a bad route to go down.

Can I Just Drive An Ambulance?

To drive an ambulance, you’ll usually also be a qualified ambulance care assistant. Patient transport service driver, emergency care assistant, ambulance technician or a paramedic – not just a diver So If you go into this career, it’s highly unlikely you’ll just be able to drive ambulances and that’s it. If you work in the emergency side of ambulance work, you’ll usually be involved in directly assessing and providing patient treatment – hence the need to be fully medically trained as well as driver trained. At the very least, in the patient transport service you’ll be expected to help patients get in and out of the vehicle, and have knowledge of first aid and safe transportation.

Who Will I Work With?

As an ambulance driver, you will get the opportunity to work with a huge variety of people in your day to day work. The team behind the ambulance service is made up of more than just paramedics. You will also work with (and potentially be):

Ambulance care assistant and patient transport driver
Call handler/ emergency medical dispatcher
Emergency care assistant
Emergency medical technician
Patient Transport Service call handler
Paramedic
Experienced paramedic

All of these roles require people of a caring nature, who have good communication and organisations skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure. If you have these attributes, then a career in the ambulance service could be for you.

Easy as HGV, we love helping aspiring paramedics become qualified ambulance drivers. There is no nobler career in life than helping those in need, and we are honoured to support the NHS and those training to be a part of it. We regularly run courses for ambulance drivers, as well as intensive programmes to help you achieve your goals on your timeline. And with online CPC lessons and qualifications available, you can get your first steps done without even leaving the house. To find out more, just get in touch with us today.

Charlotte Haye

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