NSW Ambulance volunteers play a vital role in communities across the state. Discover volunteer role types at NSW Ambulance, and how to get involved.
Clinical volunteers
NSW Ambulance operates a number of clinical volunteer responder models across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote NSW.
Clinical volunteer opportunities are not necessarily available in every location across the state and are only in areas of identified need. Over 350 clinical volunteers provide first response clinical care to our patients in approximately 60 locations.
These programs are an important part of building the resilience of small communities and minimising the time between calling for help, and receiving initial care from clinically skilled responders, until paramedics arrive. This leads to improved patient outcomes.
Becoming a clinical volunteer for NSW Ambulance is a comprehensive process that includes residing in an identified community, a suitability assessment, personal health assessment, completion of a range of mandatory vaccinations, Police checks, Working with Children checks and referee checks. If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you would also need to demonstrate a visa category that entitles you to work in Australia. These are all mandatory requirements set by either NSW Health or the NSW and Commonwealth governments.
Once those processes are completed, a clinical volunteer is required to undertake a nationally accredited induction training program over 9 – 12 months. This period includes blocks of classroom training and operational practicum periods. These courses are scheduled on an as-needs basis across NSW.
To maintain certification, NSW Ambulance clinical volunteers must progress through the annual Maintenance of Skills (MOS) program, and this includes online learning and attendance at a classroom session each month. The monthly Maintenance of Skills program is a mandatory requirement and compliance with the annual MOS program requirements will result in the renewal of clinical certification for the following year.
Clinical volunteers are required to make themselves regularly available to respond when required in their location. Each unit organises themselves and shares the response duties equally. Regular response availability underpins knowledge, training and skill consolidation outside of formal classroom sessions.
For general enquiries or to confirm if there are volunteer positions in your location, please email us, or call 02 4827 0410.
Clinical volunteer unit locations
Clinical volunteer units are only established in those locations where NSW Ambulance has identified a definite need for a response capability – they are not established randomly nor facilitated on an ad hoc basis.
Chaplain volunteers
NSW Ambulance chaplains are part of a multidisciplinary support team that provides non-judgmental support to Ambulance staff and their families as well as support to bystanders at traumatic incidents. As a member of the Chaplaincy Team, you will assist with the provision of 24/7 post-incident support and pastoral care. This may occur at the scene of an incident, a workplace, a home or a hospital. Chaplains also provide spiritual guidance or help to access other faith based care or welfare services and may be requested for a baptism, wedding, funeral or other ceremony.
The role of a NSW Ambulance volunteer chaplain is voluntary and therefore without remuneration
NSW Ambulance is seeking volunteer chaplains in the following locations:
Regional NSW
- Central West - Orange/Mudgee/Gulgong
- Far West - Lightning Ridge to Bourke
- Mid North Coast - Port Macquarie
- New England - Armidale to Tenterfield
- North Coast- Byron Bay to Tweed Region
- Northwest – Moree/Narrabri
- Northwest - Tamworth
- Riverina - Wagga Wagga
- South Coast - Batemans Bay to Bermagui
- Southern Tablelands - Queanbeyan to Jindabyne
Sydney, Central Coast & Hunter
- Central Coast - Gosford
- Hunter Region - Newcastle
- Hunter Region - Port Stephens to Gloucester
- Macarthur Region - Campbelltown/Camden/Picton
- Western Sydney – Badgerys Creek/Green Valley/Erskine Park
- Eastern Sydney – Mascot to Randwick
- North Sydney – Forestville to Manly
View the role description to apply or view further information about becoming a volunteer chaplain.
Volunteers operate under standard NSW Ambulance operating policies and procedures, health guidelines and legislation.
We thank all volunteers for their invaluable contribution to NSW Ambulance, and to the wider community.
Consumer Representatives
NSW Ambulance participates in the Health Consumers NSW Program which represents the interests of patients, carers and their families in NSW. Health Consumers NSW is a membership-based, independent not-for-profit organisation which works with a group of volunteer Consumer Representatives to ensure health consumers are involved in the design and delivery of health care in NSW.
Fay Rhodes is NSW Ambulance’s first health consumer representative. You can read more about her experience and how she became involved in the program in A word with Fay Rhodes and Paul Wildin.
If you would like to be involved and help influence health policy and health services in NSW you can become a member of Health Consumers NSW.