Drivers of ambulances generally bring injured and sick people to the hospitals for treatment. They are in charge of manoeuvring the ambulance through congested, bustling streets, which are generally in poor conditions. You will come to know about the deeper concepts of ambulance driving as well as the Ambulance Driver Training so far.
There are several options for training to become a member of the ambulance service. If you want to become a paramedic technician, you’ll need to go to university and get a paramedic science degree. You can also get through Ambulance Driver Training if you wish to drive ambulances safely as well as legally. That is if you want to be part of the ambulance services on a legal basis.
To become an Emergency care Assistant
You can also apply to work as an emergency care assistant as you will only need 3-4 GCSEs, where English, Maths, and science as a subject, no additional degree is required.
To become an Ambulance Driver
You could also consider working as an ambulance driver. This position entails transporting patients to hospitals. A class C1 driver’s licence is required to operate an ambulance as a paramedic or an ambulance driver.
To obtain your C1 licence, you must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s licence. The required theory and practical driving tests must be passed.
Obtaining the C1 licence will allow you to drive an ambulance legally in UK.
- To get your licence, you must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s licence (class B).
- Attend and pass a medical exam for LGVs. You must bring a D4 medical form with you for the doctor to fill out.
- Start Ambulance Driver Training, which will help you plan your medical appointment, or contact your local GP, who will be able to tell you about the costs.
- Request that the provisional entitlement be added to your current driver’s licence from the DVSA. Form D2 must be completed and sent to the DVSA along with your completed D4 form and your current driver’s licence. Your driver’s licence will be returned with the C1 provisional entitlement appended.
Theory test
To earn your C1 licence and become an ambulance driver, you must pass two theoretical tests. To pass, you must answer 85 percent of the questions correctly on a 100-question multiple-choice test.
Hazard perception test
The second exam is a hazard perception test, which involves seeing brief video clips from the perspective of the vehicle’s driver. When a hazard occurs, you must indicate it. The passing score is 67/100, and there are 19 clips on the test.
Practical Ambulance Driver Training
- Your practical driving training and test will demonstrate how to properly operate the vehicle on the road. The test routes will be provided to you, and you will practice the reversing manoeuvre.
- The practical driving test lasts around an hour, during which the examiner will evaluate your ability to drive safely on the road.
- After passing your practical exam, you can mail your driver’s licence to the DVSA, which will amend your licence to reflect the C1 eligibility.
If you want to utilise your C1 licence for a different job, such as delivery driver, you’ll need to pass an additional test called the Driver CPC. This qualification is required if you plan to use your C1 licence to drive heavy goods vehicles. This is not a requirement for ambulance drivers. The above aspects show that to become an ambulance driver you need to pursue the things legally as mentioned above such as going through proper Ambulance Driver Training to have better driving as well as life-saving experiences.
Earning as an Ambulance Driver
- In UK, the average salary for an Ambulance Driver (Patient Transport Services) is around £18K – 21K (upwards).
- The starting salary for a fully certified paramedic is around £25K (upwards).
