How to become an Ambulance Driver, Attendant or Except Emergency Medical Technician

Official title: Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

Also called: Ambulance Driver, Chair Car Driver, CPR Ambulance Driver (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Ambulance Driver), Driver, Driver Medic, ECA (Emergency Care Attendant), Emergency Vehicle Operator, EMS Driver (Emergency Medical Services Driver), First Responder, Medical Van Driver (Medi-Van Driver)

Drive ambulance or assist ambulance driver in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons. Assist in lifting patients.

Main tasks

• Place patients on stretchers, and load stretchers into ambulances, usually with assistance from other attendants.
• Replace supplies and disposable items on ambulances.
• Accompany and assist emergency medical technicians on calls.
• Earn and maintain appropriate certifications.
• Drive ambulances or assist ambulance drivers in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons.
• Administer first aid, such as bandaging, splinting, or administering oxygen.
• Remove and replace soiled linens or equipment to maintain sanitary conditions.
• Report facts concerning accidents or emergencies to hospital personnel or law enforcement officials.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Ambulance Attendant (Emt).
• Licence: A licence is required in 5 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $35,450 a year The middle half earn $30,750 to $38,410.
• About 14,300 people work in this job now, and about 14,100 are projected by 2035. (-1.3%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

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Questions people ask

How do I become an Ambulance Driver, Attendant or Except Emergency Medical Technician?

Ways in include: Ambulance Attendant (Emt).

How much does an Ambulance Driver, Attendant or Except Emergency Medical Technician earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $35,450 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $30,750 to $38,410.

Is an Ambulance Driver, Attendant or Except Emergency Medical Technician a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 14,300 people now and 14,100 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become an Ambulance Driver, Attendant or Except Emergency Medical Technician?

Usually not. Only 12% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Ambulance Attendant (Emt).

Will AI change the work of an Ambulance Driver, Attendant or Except Emergency Medical Technician?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.