MightyRecruiterOrderlies are responsible for ensuring patients at nursing homes or other long-term care facilities are properly taken care of. Their duties may include helping patients use the restroom, bathing them and helping them get dressed. Other duties include moving them between beds and wheelchairs, measuring vital signs and helping them eat meals. Orderlies also take care of cleaning medical equipment and rooms as well as providing services during emergency situations such as fire alarms or security issues.
When creating your orderly job description, it is important to mention that orderlies must be kind and patient. Interpersonal skills are necessary to deal with sick and sometimes grumpy people daily.
Orderlies must also pay strong attention to detail, be willing to work in a team environment and be able to do heavy lifting. The orderly job description template below can help you determine what else to include in your ad.
Orderly Job Summary
As one of our orderlies, you will get to improve our patients’ days by providing a helping hand and a friendly smile. As you go about your physical tasks to ensure our patients are fed, bathed, dressed and comfortable, you’ll often hear lots of enriching stories about their lives because many of our patients have led interesting ones and enjoy sharing. Our casual team environment ensures you always have the support you need from co-workers but are also free to make plenty of decisions on your own. This is a great role for you if you want to make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families.
Job Responsibilities
- Assist patients when performing daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, eating and spending time in recreation rooms or outdoors
- Lift patients or assist others in lifting patients to move them between beds and wheelchairs or onto stretchers, examination tables or surgical tables
- Transport patients who use wheelchairs to their appointments within the facility, including treatment units, operating rooms or testing units, or transport them to the appropriate vehicle for appointments outside of the facility
- Clean, disinfect and inspect facility equipment, including wheelchairs, hospital beds and portable medical equipment, and provide documentation of any repairs or maintenance required
- Transport medical equipment and supplies between rooms and departments
- Change soiled linens, including sheets, blankets, pillowcases, drapes and cubicle curtains
- Assist nurses when taking vital signs such as blood pressure, temperature, respiration rate and heart rate
- Respond to emergency situations such as security calls and fire alarms, and assist other staff members in moving patients to a safe space
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- Basic Life Support certification
- CPR-certified
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Ability to lift patients, stand, walk and crouch for long periods of time
- Communication and interpersonal skills
Preferred:
- Bachelor’s degree
- Some experience
Orderly Job Responsibilities
If your goal when writing the meatiest part of your orderly job description is to attract the most talented healthcare professionals, you should focus on the responsibilities section. This includes the information jobseekers use to decide whether to apply for the position. However, if the section is too long and intimidating, even those who qualify for the job may choose not to apply. Six, seven or eight bullet points seem to be just the right length to provide enough information but not overwhelm readers.
You can best format your orderly job responsibilities section as a list of bullet points that each begins with a strong action verb. Using this strategy makes it easier for readers to envision themselves working in the position. The verbs you choose should reflect what the daily expected actions for orderlies are. The following examples include some verb choices and will help you with your orderly job description.
- Transport patients using stretchers or wheelchairs, making sure they are safe and comfortable at all times
- Assist in the lifting or other manipulation of patients to assist with observation or examination
- Clean and disinfect equipment and tools to prevent infection or the spread of disease
- Manage the inventory, keeping track of when certain items run out and place order accordingly
Orderly Job Specifications
Unlike the responsibilities section, the orderly job specifications information should be brief. It is commonly the shortest section in the job description, although this does not mean you can afford to neglect it. In some ways, it is the most important section because it affects how high the limitations are for candidates. No matter how appealing the rest of the orderly job description makes the position appear, no one will apply if the job qualifications and skills section makes it seem like the barrier of entry is impossibly high.
To help avoid this problem, consider separating the information found in this section into preferences and mandatory requirements. This allows the best matches for the orderly job description to feel confident applying while still filtering out those who do not qualify. Behavioral qualities and skills are often general preferences, while working experiences or education requirements are mandatory. Speak with your supervisors so you can be sure about which qualifications are deal-breakers. Consider these examples.
- Must have started or completed medical training
- Excellent communication skills, including interpersonal, verbal and written
- Must be fully certified to work in a healthcare environment and use standard equipment
- Good attention to small details and strong analysis abilities
