Applications are now invited for individuals to join the Scottish Ambulance Service as a Trainee Ambulance Care Assistant (ACA) in the Argyll Region.

The base locations will be in the following ONLY:

Campbeltown

Oban

Dunoon

Lochgilphead

The Scottish Ambulance Service encourages applications from ethnic minorities and those with disabilities.

The Role
As an ACA, you will be responsible for delivering high quality care and safe transportation for non-emergency patients from their homes to hospital and clinic appointments. You will work 5 days out of 7 which may include weekend working. You must therefore have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, be a team player and have the ability to deal with a range of people who are often at their most vulnerable. This is a really important role within the Service and offers a vital service to the people of Scotland.

The Training
The successful applicant for this post will be an employee of the Service from their start date and will be enrolled on our accredited Level 3 Certificate in “Ambulance Patient Care: Non-urgent Care Services” programme. The programme takes approximately 5 months to complete and involves the following:

Part 1 - 1 week driving education & training programme, delivered from either one of our regional Clinical Education Centres or an Ambulance station.

Part 2 - 3-week clinical education programme, delivered from one of our regional Clinical Education Centres

Part 3 – On successful completion of Parts 1 & 2, students will progress to a period of practice placement at an allocated ambulance station to complete a Practice Placement Portfolio, supported by the Education & Professional Development team and other qualified staff.

The Person
This is a hugely varied role, each day and each patient is different. As a result, you will need to have excellent interpersonal skills as well as an ability to communicate effectively. You will need to demonstrate flexibility and the ability to make effective and safe decisions.

We welcome applications form a range of backgrounds, however, previous experience in a healthcare role or a healthcare related qualification would be an advantage. However, volunteer work or working with your community would also be beneficial.

All candidates will be required to satisfy the following minimum entry requirements:

Evidence of successful study at SCQF Level 4 or above in Maths and English.

Full UK driving licence with no more than 4 penalty points.

While candidates do require to have a D1 licence in place prior to the course start dates, it is not an essential requirement, and we will accept applications from applicants who do not yet have D1 in place. We will require however to prioritise candidates who already have D1 in place for earlier courses. Please check your Driving licence before applying to ensure you have this. Applicants who sat their Driving test after 1st January 1997 will not automatically have this category on their licence.

Candidates will also be required to successfully complete the following selection elements:

Occupational Fitness Test
Competency and Values Based Interview
Occupational Health Screening
Satisfactory application to the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (Disclosure Scotland)
Reference process

The starting salary for Trainee Care Assistants is £19,356 per annum, rising to £23,914 pro rata per annum on successful completion of the Service’s training programme. This will increase in increments to £25,808 pro rata per annum.