Emergency medical dispatcher

You would be responsible for managing all emergency resources over a particular geographical area for the ambulance service.

You will need to send the right resource to the patient as quickly as possible. 

You would pass on as much information as you can to the paramedics so that they will be as prepared as possible when they arrive at the patient.

You would be responsible for deciding what type of response is needed and send the nearest and most appropriate vehicle. This could be an ambulance, a rapid response car, a motorcycle or a paramedic helicopter.

You would need to work quickly and often under a lot of pressure. 

You need to train as an emergency call handler before you can become an emergency dispatcher.  Most jobs are in the National Health Service (NHS), working for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

The NHS salaries for these roles are covered by the Agenda for Change pay rates. You can check the salaries on the NHS Careers website.

• Scottish Ambulance Service - How it works, about its employees and experiences of people who use the Service