The salary ranges from $11,043 to $289,639, with a median salary of $42,155. The middle 57 percent of Ambulance Drivers make between $42,155 and $124,531, with the top 86 percent making $289,639.
Whereas, in the United Kingdom, the average salary of an ambulance driver or paramedic is £27,312. But please note that newly qualified ambulance drivers or paramedics can expect to earn at least £21,000 starting in Band 5 under the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale.
It is important to note that a paramedic salary raises for those who undertake extended skills training in critical care or trauma.
Becoming an ambulance driver is a good way to start earning a reasonable salary in the healthcare industry, and the salary of Ambulance Drivers in the United States of America vary. Interestingly, the annual compensation for ambulance drivers has gone up since 2004 in the United States. Salaries have increased by an average of 41.91 percent nationwide in that time.
Ambulance drivers are hired to drive ambulances, assist in transporting patients to hospitals and also make sure that the ambulance is clean and in good shape. This job is not usually dangerous, but it does require that workers spend long periods of time around sick patients in close quarters.
Factors That Determine How Much You Can Earn As An Ambulance Driver
It is important to state that there are factors that can determine how much you can earn as an ambulance driver in the United States and of course any part of the world and some of the factors are;
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The Qualifications of the Ambulance Driver
If there is any major factor that will determine the amount an ambulance driver is expected to make in a year, it will be the qualifications of the ambulance driver. Ambulance drivers are often trained to serve as emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
Various levels of EMT training provide workers with basic, intermediate, or advanced skills. The most highly skilled EMTs are called paramedics and they earn far more than entry level ambulance drivers.
The fact that an ambulance driver is trained as paramedics or emergency medical technicians, and that they do not only drive their ambulances but also provide crucial emergency medical care means that they are adding more value than just being drivers.
The depth and level of schooling ambulance drivers must undergo depends on their assigned medical duties and the state in which they work and that in turn determines their remuneration.
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The Location
Another very important factor that determines that money an ambulance driver is expected to make is of course the location where the driver is working. Interestingly, in the United States, there is no uniformity when it comes to pay scale hence any state may decide to pay more so as to attract the best hands in the industry.
The states and districts that pay ambulance drivers (paramedics in general) the highest mean salary are Hawaii ($56,610), Washington ($56,140), Maryland ($50,750), Alaska ($50,640), and the District of Columbia ($47,830).
So also, the average Ambulance Driver salary in California is $36,519 as of August 27, 2022, but it is important to state that the range typically falls between $35,100 and $40,254. With the above information, it is easier to come to the conclusion that the location an ambulance driver is operating from will greatly influence the amount they make in a year.
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The Organization
In as much as there are ranges of salaries that ambulance drivers are expected to make daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, it is common to find some organizations paying above the average in order to be able to attract the best ambulance drivers in the state.
In essence, if as an ambulance driver you are in a city where there are competition at different levels in the healthcare industry, you are likely going to earn more when compared to ambulance drivers in cities or states where there are no competitions or where the medical emergency industry is not really thriving to warrant competition.
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Bonuses and Benefit Packages
Another factor that will determine the amount an ambulance driver is expected to make in a year will be determined by the bonuses and benefit packages of the organization. Benefits usually include paid holidays and vacations, health insurance, and retirement plans.
Come to think of it, there are some organizations that go the extra mile to make sure that aside from salaries, they create policies that focus on making their bonuses and benefit packages more robust and attractive just for the purpose of appealing to the best ambulance drivers in the state.
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The Years of Experience of the Ambulance Driver
Lastly, another key factor that will determine the amount an ambulance driver is expected to make on a yearly basis is the number of years the ambulance driver has spent in the industry. This is important because experienced ambulance drivers will not be subjected to training, they will just be deployed to their new roles.
But in most EMT companies, once a fresh graduating ambulance driver is hired, the new employee will need up to a year of formal training before beginning work as an ambulance driver.
For example, in the United Kingdom, a mid-career Ambulance Driver with 4-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £23,200, while an experienced Ambulance Driver with 10-20 years experience makes on average £31,000.
Ambulance Drivers with more than 20 years experience earn £35,700 on average. In essence, an ambulance driver that has over 20 years experience is expected to earn far more than an ambulance driver that is just leaving school.
In Conclusion,
An ambulance driver that wants to earn the national average must have a secondary school certificate or certificate of equivalence, and also you must enroll and complete a full term qualification in paramedic science, maintain a high level of personal fitness, develop two years driving experience, maintain a clear license and must have completed a C1 training course to allow you to drive ambulances.