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The main role of National Ambulance Service (NAS) is to provide emergency medical care to patients in the community.

Our staff work in a dynamic, fast moving environment providing a demand-led service for the whole population. We work alongside the Dublin Fire Brigade, Irish Air Corps, An Garda Síochána, Irish Coast Guard, Irish Community Rapid Response and, at a community level, with Community First Responder teams.

Role of the Paramedic

Paramedics play a vital role in the provision of emergency care to the community and are involved in life saving work at the scene of incidents and while working on ambulances.

The Paramedic course is a degree level programme and takes three years. The National Ambulance Service maintains a panel of candidates who are invited twice a year to take up available places at the National Ambulance Service College.

NAS Post Graduate Student Bill Nolan said: “I enjoy helping people and having an impact in their lives. It’s very rewarding looking after patients making them feel a bit better and secure.”

There are some very attractive benefits on offer to Paramedic trainees including the following:

• Paramedic trainees are paid while they are attending the 3 year course at the National Ambulance Service College
• Successful completion of the course leads to the awarding of a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree
• Successful candidates are almost guaranteed a full time job at the end of their training

The top rate of the current salary scale for a paramedic is €43,114 and shift and weekend premia payments also apply. 

The hours of attendance i.e. average of 39 hours per week calculated over a predetermined period of time, involves shift work. You will be expected to be available for duty outside of the rostered hours as and when the need may arise. Rosters and periods of duty will involve working at weekends, nights and during public holidays. Shift patterns are normally of 8, 10 or 12 hours duration.

You can find more information on salary scales and the eligibility criteria for the role by clicking here.

There are a variety of promotional opportunities within the National Ambulance Service such as management roles, getting involved in the education of paramedics and also in clinical analysis work.

Student Paramedic

Paramedics are trained at the National Ambulance Service College which has three campuses in Tallaght (Dublin), Ballinasloe (Galway) and Tullamore (Offaly) with more campuses planned. Our Paramedic course is a degree level programme and takes three years. NAS maintains a panel of candidates who are invited twice a year to take up available places at the National Ambulance Service College.

There are some very attractive benefits on offer to Paramedic trainees including the following:

• Paramedic trainees are paid while they are attending the three year course at the National Ambulance Service College,
• Successful completion of the course leads to the awarding of a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree,
• Job opportunities are very good for candidates at the successful end of their training,
• There are a variety of promotional opportunities within the National Ambulance Service such as further specialisation in paramedicine, becoming a manager, getting involved in the
  education of other paramedics and also in clinical analysis work.

The starting salary on the current salary scale for a student paramedic is €32,085. You can find more information on salary scales and the eligibility criteria for the role by clicking here.

Role of the ICO

The Intermediate Care Operative, or ICO, post is designed to provide a comprehensive and dedicated Patient Transport/Intermediate Care Service within the National Ambulance Service.

Intermediate Care Operatives may be tasked occasionally to higher acuity calls. In this role, the primary purpose will be:

• In advance of an EMS resource as a First Responder
• Simultaneously, alongside an EMS resource as additional responders/practitioners, e.g. Cardiac Arrest
• As the primary resource to low acuity calls not appropriate to Paramedic service provision, i.e. Omega Calls
• In any role deemed appropriate during a Major Emergency.

The top rate of the current salary scale for an ICO is €38,940. You can find more information on salary scales and the eligibility criteria for the role by clicking here.

Role of the EMC 

The Emergency Medical Controller (Emergency Call Taker), or EMC, post is designed to operate in a communications command and control centre environment in order to control efficiently and effectively the emergency ambulance, intermediate care and first responder services for service users and to cater for the communications needs of the Health Service.

Responsible for the efficient and effective call taking of EMS, ICS and related calls and requests in order to meet service user’s needs in a timely manner and within the framework of policies, procedures and guidelines. Additionally, the Emergency Medical Controller (Emergency Call Taker) will have a key role in the future operation of alternative referral pathways.

The Emergency Medical Controller (Emergency Call Taker) has a key role in delivering an effective response to emergencies within an established set of performance indicator response times. The Emergency Medical Controller (Emergency Call Taker) will play a lead role in improving communication within and externally to the service, by performing their duties in line with the ethos of customer/client service.

The top rate of the current salary scale for a paramedic is €47,021. The hours of attendance i.e. average of 39 hours per week calculated over a predetermined period of time, involves shift work. You will be expected to be available for duty outside of the rostered hours as and when the need may arise.  Shift patterns are normally of 8, 10 or 12 hours duration.

You can find more information on salary scales and the eligibility criteria for the role by clicking here.

Community First Responders

At a local level, the NAS is also supported by Community First Responder (CFR) schemes, responding to particular types of medical emergencies where it is essential for the patient to receive immediate life-saving care whilst an emergency response vehicle is on route to the patient. You can find more information on becoming a CFR by clicking here.

Recruitment Campaigns

National Ambulance Service recruitment campaigns can be found under 'Patient and Client Care' on hse.ie/jobs for positions including: Student Paramedic, Paramedic and Intermediate Care Operative.  If you are interested in applying for a position with the National Ambulance Service in one of these roles please click here for more information.

The National Ambulance Service also recruits for Administrative, Business Support and Management positions.  If you are interested in applying for a position in one of these roles please click here for more information.

The Public Appointments Service recruits for senior positions in the HSE as well as specialist healthcare positions.  You should check out their job pages and log into their website to sign up for job alerts.  Click here to register with publicjobs.ie for vacancy alerts with the National Ambulance Service.

If you don't see a post that you are interested in applying for, please visit careerhub.hse.ie to find further support and information on joining the HSE.

Diversity Equality and Inclusion

HSE Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Statement 

Employees of the HSE bring a range of skills, talents, diverse thinking and experience to the organisation. The HSE is committed to creating a positive working environment whereby all employees inclusive of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependents, age, physical or mental disability, civil status, membership of the Traveller community, and geographic location are respected, valued and can reach their full potential. We aim to develop the workforce of the HSE so that it reflects the diversity of HSE service users and to strengthen it through accommodating and valuing different perspectives, ultimately resulting in improved service-user experience. 

Find out more here.

Working and Living in Ireland

The HSE is the largest employer in the state, with over 100,000 employees. More than 67,000 are direct employees, the remainder are employed by agencies funded by the HSE. The HSE aims to be an Employer of Choice, and offers a wide range of challenging career opportunities that enable our staff to make an important contribution to the health services, to public service and to the lives of everyone living in Ireland.

For overseas candidates looking to work for the National Ambulance Service from outside the European Economic Area please click here for more information.