Patient & Equipment Transporter

UMass Memorial Health•Southbridge, MA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Performs a variety of duties involving transportation of patients throughout the hospital, assists nursing staff with physical and lateral patient transfers, delivers items among hospital departments and patient care areas, and cleans and sanitizes beds and transport equipment. The position also maintains job activity logs and other statistical records as required. The Patient & Equipment Transporter escorts ambulatory patients and transports patients by wheelchair, stretcher, or bed. Before transport, the transporter verifies patient identity using two identifiers and completes the Safe Patient Transport Form, alerting a clinician to any discrepancies. The transporter responds to basic patient needs, helps ensure patient comfort and safety, and provides handoff communication to the receiving unit. The role assists nursing staff and/or lift technicians with patient movement and positioning, including transfers involving precautions and the required personal protective equipment and infection-control procedures. Additional duties include delivering and cleaning transport equipment; transporting specimens, blood products, contaminated equipment, medical records, pharmaceuticals, X-ray films, sterile items, and other materials; and checking and distributing portable oxygen cylinders. The transporter uses a web-based dispatch system and may assist with emergency and disaster-related transport duties or act as a dispatcher if trained and directed. The position requires a high school diploma or equivalent, English communication skills, and good interpersonal and customer-service skills. Basic Life Support certification within six months of hire and six months of hospital experience are preferred. Work is described as sedentary and indoors in a normal office environment. The schedule has varying shifts, with scheduled on-call duty and one major summer and one major winter holiday.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English.
Good interpersonal skills and a customer-service orientation to support collaborative, patient-focused work with Patient Transportation and other hospital departments.

Nice To Haves

Basic Life Support (BLS) certification within six months of hire.
Six months of experience in a hospital environment.

Responsibilities

Escort ambulatory patients and transport patients by wheelchair, stretcher, or bed.
Verify patient identity using two identifiers, complete Safe Patient Transport Forms, and notify a clinician of discrepancies.
Monitor and respond to basic patient needs before, during, and after transport, and provide handoff communication to the receiving unit.
Assist nursing staff and/or lift technicians with moving and positioning patients, including lateral transfers, using lift devices and required infection-control procedures and personal protective equipment.
Deliver stretchers, beds, cribs, and wheelchairs; sanitize transport vehicles and ancillary equipment between patient uses; and assist with biannual deep-cleaning of transport equipment.
Transport specimens, blood products, and contaminated equipment according to established infection-control guidelines.
Deliver medical records, pharmaceuticals, X-ray films, sterile items, reports, and other materials as required.
Check portable oxygen E-cylinders and distribute or exchange them throughout the hospital.
Use the web-based TDSS dispatch system via alpha paging for job assignments and maintain trip logs and other required records.
May participate in Emergency Department triage transport assignments during disasters, assist with trauma patient transport, transport deceased victims to the morgue, and guide patients through a decontamination unit.
May perform dispatcher duties if trained and directed.
Comply with departmental policies, procedures, objectives, health and safety requirements, and applicable quality-improvement practices.
Attend required or directed meetings, conferences, and seminars; maintain regular, reliable, and predictable attendance; and perform other similar duties as required.