# Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/ambulance-drivers-and-attendants-except-emergency-medical-technicians
- SOC code: 53-3011.00
- Career family: Transportation
- Median annual pay: $35,450 (10th percentile $27,350, 90th percentile $45,960)
- Projected growth: Decline, -1.3%
- Openings a year: 1,400
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RSC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 91 |
| Investigative (I) | 24 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 62 |
| Enterprising (E) | 9 |
| Conventional (C) | 43 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 95/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 88/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 88/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 87/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 84/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 83/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 83/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 82/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 81/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 79/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Operation and Control, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making

## Knowledge

English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Transportation, Medicine and Dentistry, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training, Psychology, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management

## Also called

Ambulance Attendant, Ambulance Driver, Chair Car Driver, CPR Ambulance Driver (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Ambulance Driver), Driver, Driver Medic, ECA (Emergency Care Attendant), Emergency Medical Vehicle Operator, Emergency Vehicle Operator, EMS Driver (Emergency Medical Services Driver)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5108) (CIP 5108, 1,063 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Connecticut UCONN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-connecticut-uconn-2902) | Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | $38,020 | $79,657 | $19,500 |
| [Ohio State University-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ohio-state-university-main-campus-2000) | Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | $45,321 | $73,594 | $19,829 |

## Related careers

- [Emergency Medical Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/emergency-medical-technicians): $44,470 median pay
- [Paramedics](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/paramedics): $60,600 median pay
- [Orderlies](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/orderlies): $38,290 median pay
- [Nursing Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nursing-assistants): $42,260 median pay
- [Home Health Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/home-health-aides): $35,800 median pay
- [Surgical Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/surgical-assistants): $66,800 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.