Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians
SOC Code: 53-3011
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians carries a 26% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $34,330 and -1.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 12,300 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 26% AI exposure, Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians sits 11 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 18% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
34/100
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $34,330
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -1.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A- 26% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Slow growth (245 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
26% Among the lowest lower than 82% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 53-3011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Remove and replace soiled linens or equipment to maintain sanitary conditions.
- 2. Drive ambulances or assist ambulance drivers in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons.
- 3. Report facts concerning accidents or emergencies to hospital personnel or law enforcement officials.
- 4. Place patients on stretchers, and load stretchers into ambulances, usually with assistance from other attendants.
- 5. Accompany and assist emergency medical technicians on calls.
- 6. Replace supplies and disposable items on ambulances.
- 7. Perform minor maintenance on emergency medical services vehicles, such as ambulances.
- 8. Clean and wash rigs, ambulances, or equipment.
- 9. Earn and maintain appropriate certifications.
- 10. Administer first aid, such as bandaging, splinting, or administering oxygen.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Social Perceptiveness
- Monitoring
- Instructing
- Operation and Control
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
- Transportation
- Education and Training
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Telecommunications
- Administrative
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians?
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians has an AI exposure score of 26%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians is projected to decline by 1.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 12,300 workers.
What skills are needed for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians?
Key skills for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians include Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians earn?
The median annual wage for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians is $34,330, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians?
The typical entry-level education for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians?
Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (26% here).
- Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary · AI exposure 26%
- Forest and conservation technicians · AI exposure 26%
- Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers · AI exposure 26%
- Nurse practitioners · AI exposure 26%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-1.3% here).
- Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers · growth -1.3%
- Logging equipment operators · growth -1.4%
- Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators · growth -1.2%
- Legal support workers, all other · growth -1.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 28 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).