Orderlies

Also Called:

Patient Care Assistant (PCA),

Patient Care Technician (PCT),

Patient Transporter,

Transporter

What they do: 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.

Healthcare & Human Services icon

Healthcare & Human Services

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • 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.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.

Cooperation

Dependability

Empathy

Attention to Detail

Stress Tolerance

Integrity

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Realistic

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Conventional

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Social

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Physical Strength

  • Use your lower back and stomach

  • Lift, push, pull, or carry

Verbal

  • Listen and understand what people say

  • Communicate by speaking

Endurance

  • Exercise for a long time without getting out of breath

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

  • Talking to others

Social

  • Looking for ways to help people

  • Understanding people's reactions

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research

  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career

2. Plan your next move

  • Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
  • Visit Idaho Launch
  • Search for available Orderlies jobs on Idaho Works

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop