Ambulance Care Assistant
Encyclopedia
Ambulance
Care Assistants (ACA), transport non-emergency patients to and from hospital for pre-arranged appointments. They also work to discharge, transfer and admit patients. Working for the Patient Transport Service, they help patients in and out of the ambulance and take them to their appointment. Afterwards the patient is driven back to their home, and the care assistant will ensure they are settled in before leaving. Many of the people care assistants deal with are frail
, elderly, physically disabled or have mental health problems. They are likely to be worried and nervous and need to be treated with kindness and patience.
Throughout the working day staff are in regular contact with the control room, who update the crews of any change in appointments etc to make sure that the crews are running to time. Their work involves a lot of heavy lifting, carrying and bending. Ambulance
Care Assistants are responsible for the routine maintenance of their vehicle and its equipment.
Some ambulance services in Britain have an ACA grade known as Urgent-Tier. These staff will drive A & E
ambulances and will partner with a Paramedic
or Technician
. Their role will involve the transport to hospital of Urgent (as opposed to Emergency) cases and they will usually provide inter-hospital transfers where the patients condition requires a higher degree of clinical care than a regular ACA can provide. This position requires successful completion of an emergency driving course, equal to that which Emergency crews must pass. The Urgent-Tier crew also can be called to attend emergency calls as first responding crew when no other crews are available.
a warm, outgoing, caring personality
the ability to work with all types of people
to enjoy helping people
good driving skills and a full clean driving licence
a strong sense of responsibility and a serious attitude to work
good organisational skills
to enjoy being part of a team
physical and emotional stamina.
trusts. Entry criteria and training may vary between regions.
In general, to work as an ambulance care assistant you need:
to be over 18 years of age (21 in some services)
to hold a full, usually clean, driving licence for at least one year, sometimes two - if you passed your test after 1996, you may need an extra driving qualification
to satisfy the selection criteria set by the local ambulance service you are applying to - this may include testing your driving skills and knowledge of the Highway Code
to have a medical assessment to make sure you are physically fit and have good eyesight.
You also need a good general standard of education, and some ambulance services ask for a minimum of four GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) in English, maths and a science-based subject. Equivalent qualifications may be accepted; check with your local ambulance service.
improving your driving skills
developing moving and handling techniques
first aid
basic emergency accident management
(in some services) administering oxygen therapy.
You are tested by continuous assessment and also take written and practical examinations.
If you reach the required standards you are attached to an ambulance station and work under the guidance of a trained supervisor for a probationary period before working unsupervised.
Working as an Ambulance
Care Assistant is the established route to a career as an Ambulance Technician, and ultimately to Paramedic
.....this used to be the case, but progression in certain ambulance trusts is no longer available.
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
Care Assistants (ACA), transport non-emergency patients to and from hospital for pre-arranged appointments. They also work to discharge, transfer and admit patients. Working for the Patient Transport Service, they help patients in and out of the ambulance and take them to their appointment. Afterwards the patient is driven back to their home, and the care assistant will ensure they are settled in before leaving. Many of the people care assistants deal with are frail
Frailty syndrome
The frailty syndrome is a collection of symptoms or markers, primarily due to the aging-related loss and dysfunction of skeletal muscle and bone, that place older adults at increased risk of adverse events such as death, disability, and institutionalization.-Sarcopenia:Sarcopenia, refers to loss...
, elderly, physically disabled or have mental health problems. They are likely to be worried and nervous and need to be treated with kindness and patience.
Throughout the working day staff are in regular contact with the control room, who update the crews of any change in appointments etc to make sure that the crews are running to time. Their work involves a lot of heavy lifting, carrying and bending. Ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
Care Assistants are responsible for the routine maintenance of their vehicle and its equipment.
Some ambulance services in Britain have an ACA grade known as Urgent-Tier. These staff will drive A & E
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
ambulances and will partner with a Paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
or Technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
. Their role will involve the transport to hospital of Urgent (as opposed to Emergency) cases and they will usually provide inter-hospital transfers where the patients condition requires a higher degree of clinical care than a regular ACA can provide. This position requires successful completion of an emergency driving course, equal to that which Emergency crews must pass. The Urgent-Tier crew also can be called to attend emergency calls as first responding crew when no other crews are available.
Skills and interests
In order to become an ambulance care assistant, you will need:a warm, outgoing, caring personality
the ability to work with all types of people
to enjoy helping people
good driving skills and a full clean driving licence
a strong sense of responsibility and a serious attitude to work
good organisational skills
to enjoy being part of a team
physical and emotional stamina.
Entry
The Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom are organised on a local basis and run by district health authorities or NHSNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
trusts. Entry criteria and training may vary between regions.
In general, to work as an ambulance care assistant you need:
to be over 18 years of age (21 in some services)
to hold a full, usually clean, driving licence for at least one year, sometimes two - if you passed your test after 1996, you may need an extra driving qualification
to satisfy the selection criteria set by the local ambulance service you are applying to - this may include testing your driving skills and knowledge of the Highway Code
to have a medical assessment to make sure you are physically fit and have good eyesight.
You also need a good general standard of education, and some ambulance services ask for a minimum of four GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) in English, maths and a science-based subject. Equivalent qualifications may be accepted; check with your local ambulance service.
Training
Once accepted into a service, you take a two to four week training course which involves:improving your driving skills
developing moving and handling techniques
first aid
basic emergency accident management
(in some services) administering oxygen therapy.
You are tested by continuous assessment and also take written and practical examinations.
If you reach the required standards you are attached to an ambulance station and work under the guidance of a trained supervisor for a probationary period before working unsupervised.
Working as an Ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
Care Assistant is the established route to a career as an Ambulance Technician, and ultimately to Paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
.....this used to be the case, but progression in certain ambulance trusts is no longer available.