Career
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians
Drive ambulances and help with patients.
$35,450
Median pay
-1.3%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,400
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then people & care?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Place patients on stretchers, and load stretchers into ambulances, usually with assistance from other attendants.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Service Orientation.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $35,450 a year and 1,400 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Emergency Care Attendant (EMT Ambulance)CIP 51.0810
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Emergency Medical Technicians$44,470 · +5.8%
- Paramedics$60,600 · +5.7%
- Orderlies$38,290 · +4.0%
- Nursing Assistants$42,260 · +2.6%
- Home Health Aides
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.