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Orderlies

Transport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. May maintain stocks of supplies or clean and transport equipment. Psychiatric orderlies are included in Psychiatric Aides.

What you’d do

  • Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
  • Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
  • Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment.
  • Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance.
  • Respond to emergency situations, such as emergency medical calls, security calls, or fire alarms.
  • Change soiled linens, such as bed linens, drapes, or cubicle curtains.
  • Carry messages or documents between departments.
  • Transport portable medical equipment or medical supplies between rooms or departments.

Skills that matter

  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Coordination
  • Critical Thinking

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Patient Care Assistant (PCA)
  • Patient Care Technician (PCT)
  • Patient Transporter
  • Transporter
  • Attendant
  • Operating Room Assistant

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