Patient Transport

American Addiction Centers

6d • $19 - $28 • Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Transport role is responsible for the courteous and timely processing of all patient transport requests, including inpatient transportation, discharges, and escorts for disabled outpatients. This role ensures patient identity is verified, that patients are transported with all necessary items (IVs, oxygen, personal belongings), and accompanies the patient at all times until handed off to designated hospital personnel. The transporter delivers patients to their destinations promptly, introduces themselves, explains the purpose of the interaction and the patient's destination, and offers comfort measures like blankets and pillows. They communicate patient needs and any issues related to patient condition to nursing or therapy staff. Familiarity with all hospital and campus locations is essential. Transporters are also responsible for maintaining a safe environment by following established policies and procedures, including hand washing, isolation precautions, correct body mechanics, cleaning equipment, reporting safety hazards, and being familiar with emergency codes and procedures. Additionally, this role involves transporting equipment, medications, and specimens, ensuring the safe use and cleanliness of transport equipment, and identifying equipment for repair. Documentation, maintenance of departmental logs, and daily operations include providing updated documentation for quality assurance, maintaining CPR certification, signing patients in and out, answering phones professionally, conveying messages accurately, reporting safety events, adhering to confidentiality policies, and maintaining the cleanliness of the office space. Privacy is paramount, requiring knowledge of campus locations, restricting patient chart access, checking for Alert Page and DNR restrictions, communicating with supervisors, and protecting patient privacy. Communication during transport involves conversing appropriately with patients to maintain a friendly atmosphere, informing nursing staff of delays or cancellations, notifying the nurse upon patient return, using organizational scripts to end interactions, and receiving/providing handovers.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Strong communications skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• CPR Certification.
• Assist in lifting patients and equipment.
• Must be willing to work with exposures to body fluids, waste and chemicals, radiation, hazardous materials, anesthesia gases and life threatening diseases.
• Ability to work weekends, holidays and rotating shifts to accommodate patient need.
• Ability to move heavy patients and equipment and to walk and stand for long periods of time.
• Resiliency and flexibility to deal with changing situations.
• Ability to communicate via phone, handheld radio and pager.
• Ability to work in high stress situations.
• Ability to respond to all fire and emergency codes.
• This position will need to recognize needs and behaviors of a variety of age group demographics treated.
• Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance.
• For patient lifts of over 35 pounds, or when patient is unable to assist with the lift, patient handling equipment is expected to be used, with at least one other associate, when available.

Responsibilities

• Ensure courteous, timely processing of all requests for all forms of transport including, but not limited to: inpatient transportation, discharges and escorts for disabled outpatients.
• Routinely checks the patient wristband to verify patient identity correctly.
• Ensures that the patient is transported with all necessary items including IV's, oxygen, shoes, robe, personal items, etc.
• Accompanies patient at all times and does not leave the patient until they are handed off to other designated hospital personnel.
• Delivers patient to their destination in a timely manner.
• Consistently and appropriately introduces him/herself to the patient, the purpose for their interaction and the patient's intended destination.
• Consistently offers to make the patient as comfortable as possible by offering blankets, pillows, etc.
• Communicates patient needs to nursing personnel or therapist.
• Communicates problems related to the patient condition to the nurse or therapist.
• Familiar with all locations of the hospital and campus.
• Washes hands before and after each patient.
• Follows isolation procedures.
• Uses correct body mechanics/lifting techniques when transferring patients.
• Cleans soiled equipment regularly to avoid spread of disease.
• Reports potential safety hazards.
• Familiar with hospital emergency codes, plans, and procedures.
• Uses and maintains equipment in proper operating order.
• Pickup and delivery of documents, ad hoc supplies and specimens not transportable by the pneumatic tube system.
• Pickup, delivery and redistribution of patient equipment as needed.
• Uses transportation equipment in a safe manner.
• Identifies any broken pieces of equipment used by the Central Transport Department and labels it for repair.
• Demonstrates an awareness of the potential risks and safety hazards from the use of the equipment on a daily basis.
• Ensures cleanliness of wheelchair fleet, stretchers, cushions, lap trays and armrests following patient transports.
• Returns equipment to proper storage after use.
• Completes training in body mechanics, Standard Precautions and use of all equipment.
• Provides updated documentation and logs of all special procedures for Quality Assurance/Process Improvement.
• Maintains current CPR certification.
• Signs the patient in and out of the unit.
• Answers phones and greets customers in a professional and courteous manner.
• Conveys messages accurately.
• Fills out an patient safety event for any potential or actual safety events.
• Follows all confidentiality policies and procedures of the hospital, refraining from discussing confidential information with co-workers, friends and family members.
• Responsible to maintain the cleanliness of the Central Transport office space.
• Maintains knowledge of the location of various functions on the hospital campus.
• Restricts the patient from reading his/her chart unless in the presence of a medical professional.
• Opens the patient chart only to check for Alert Page and DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) restrictions.
• Maintains communication with the Supervisor and responds to special instructions and/or assignments.
• Ensures that the privacy of the patient is properly protected.
• Follows all confidentiality policies and procedures of the hospital.
• Refrains from discussing confidential information with co-workers, friends and family members.
• Appropriately converses with patient during the transportation phase providing a friendly atmosphere and keeping the patient's spirits up.
• Informs nursing personnel or therapist in a timely manner of delays and/or cancellations, along with reason for the delay/cancellation.
• Informs the nurse when the patient is returned to the unit.
• Appropriately ends the patient interaction by using the organizational script.
• Receives handover when accepting the patient and provides handover when transfering patient to the care of other peronnel.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off programs
• medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED