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What is an Orderly?
Position Description 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.
What Do Orderlies Do On a Daily Basis?
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients’ needs.
- Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
- Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
- Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance.
- Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment.
- Separate collected materials for disposal, recycling, or reuse, in accordance with environmental policies.
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What an Orderly Should Know
Below is a list of the skills most Orderlies say are important on the job.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Related Job Titles
- Radiology Transporter
- Patient Care Assistant (PCA)
- Hospital Corpsman
- Operating Room Assistant
- Health Service Worker
What Kind of Orderly Job Opportunities Are There?
In the United States, there were 54,000 jobs for Orderly in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 8.1% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 4,400 new jobs for Orderly by 2026. There will be an estimated 6,700 positions for Orderly per year.
The states with the most job growth for Orderly are Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. Watch out if you plan on working in Illinois, Connecticut, or Oklahoma. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for an Orderly
The salary for Orderlies ranges between about $21,010 and $41,460 a year.
Orderlies who work in Hawaii, Minnesota, or Alaska, make the highest salaries.
How much do Orderlies make in different U.S. states?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $23,580 |
| Alaska | $41,470 |
| Arizona | $26,410 |
| Arkansas | $25,770 |
| California | $39,410 |
| Colorado | $30,380 |
| Connecticut | $34,450 |
| Delaware | $32,820 |
| District of Columbia | $32,190 |
| Florida | $26,540 |
| Georgia | $27,830 |
| Hawaii | $39,310 |
| Idaho | $29,190 |
| Illinois | $33,140 |
| Indiana | $28,790 |
| Iowa | $30,100 |
| Kansas | $27,130 |
| Kentucky | $23,960 |
| Louisiana | $23,650 |
| Maine | $28,300 |
| Maryland | $28,080 |
| Massachusetts | $36,010 |
| Michigan | $29,130 |
| Minnesota | $37,460 |
| Mississippi | $22,930 |
| Missouri | $23,760 |
| Montana | $28,720 |
| Nevada | $32,480 |
| New Hampshire | $32,060 |
| New Jersey | $31,000 |
| New Mexico | $28,720 |
| New York | $35,130 |
| North Carolina | $26,680 |
| North Dakota | $32,910 |
| Ohio | $27,460 |
| Oklahoma | $24,500 |
| Oregon | $27,320 |
| Pennsylvania | $28,760 |
| Rhode Island | $32,600 |
| South Carolina | $24,110 |
| Tennessee | $24,330 |
| Texas | $24,620 |
| Vermont | $27,250 |
| Virginia | $28,490 |
| Washington | $32,510 |
| West Virginia | $25,240 |
| Wisconsin | $29,480 |
| Wyoming | $35,910 |
What Tools & Technology do Orderlies Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Orderlies may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Windows
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- Medical record charting software
How to Become an Orderly
Learn what Orderly education requirements there are.
How Long Does it Take to Become an Orderly?
Where Orderlies Work
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.