Newly Qualified Paramedic (NQP)

Thinking about starting your career as a Newly Qualified Paramedic (NQP)?

• Have you recently graduated from a HCPC accredited undergraduate Paramedic programme.
• Are you a 3rd year student currently studying a HCPC accredited undergraduate Paramedic programme?
• Are you just registering with the HCPC as a Paramedic and looking for somewhere to start your Paramedic career?

If so, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) are currently recruiting to place suitable candidates on to one of our NQP induction courses which are scheduled to begin in October 2026.

SAS is proud to provide an emergency ambulance service to the population of Scotland. We have 6,500 staff working in 150 locations serving all mainland and island communities. Each year, we take around 1 million patients to and from hospital and transfer 90,000 patients between hospital. Our Air Ambulance undertakes around 3,500 missions a year and our SCOTSTAR service transfers 2,500 of Scotland’s most seriously ill patients.

We are continuing to develop our services with the provision, and improvement, of patient care at the forefront of everything we do. In the last five years we have introduced Advanced Paramedics in Urgent and Emergency Care, developed a new clinical response model, rolled out Critical Care Paramedics, and improved survival from Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) to world leading levels.

We are now embarking on the next phase of our strategy which will see SAS sustain these changes and further develop the clinical care we deliver.

At the Scottish Ambulance Service, our work is grounded in the core values of NHSScotland, care and compassion, dignity and respect, openness, honesty and responsibility, and quality and teamwork. These values shape how we deliver care to patients, support one another as colleagues, and continually improve our services. As a Newly Qualified Paramedic, you will be expected to demonstrate these values in your daily practice, contributing to a culture that puts people at the centre of everything we do

Our NQPs are mentored over a 12-month period, commencing on Agenda for Change Band 5 and rising to Band 6 at the end of this probationary term on completion SAS’s NQP development programme.

What do we need from you?

You need to:

• Be in your first year of registration as a Newly Qualified Practitioner, or eligible to register with the HCPC;
• Have C1 on your driving licence prior to starting with us as our fleet of A&E vehicles are all Mercedes with a box body conversion, the majority of which are under five years old. You can apply without C1, but any offer of employment would be conditional on you having C1 a minimum of 6 weeks before your start date;
• Be able to provide two references on your suitability for employment as a Paramedic

More than this, we are looking for Newly Qualified Paramedics who want to help us in the delivery of high-quality care to the people of Scotland. Our Paramedics are exceptional and have a real passion for what they do. The Scottish Ambulance Service consider it a privilege to care for the people of Scotland and if you feel the same way too, apply now.

If you believe you have the necessary skills, experience, and passion to succeed in this role, we look forward to receiving your application.