Patient Transporter Job Description: Duties, Template & Pay (2026)
A patient transporter moves patients safely through a hospital, from rooms to imaging, procedures and discharge, and keeps the wheelchairs and stretchers ready for the next one. This page has a patient transporter job description template you can copy, the duties list, interview questions, what the role pays, and the one line most postings leave out.
What a patient transporter does
A patient transporter moves patients safely around a hospital: from a room to imaging, from the emergency department to a unit, from surgery to recovery, and out to the car at discharge. Between patients they move equipment, specimens and supplies, and they clean and check the wheelchairs and stretchers they use. It is a non-licensed role, and in most hospitals it sits in a central transport team dispatched by radio or app.
Federal statistics count patient transporters as orderlies (SOC 31-1132). O*NET lists “Patient Transporter,” “Patient Escort,” “Radiology Transporter” and “Transporter” among the reported job titles for that occupation, and defines it as workers who “transport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes orderlies together with nursing assistants in its Occupational Outlook Handbook, but gives separate pay and employment for each. Every figure on this page is for orderlies unless it says otherwise.
Patient transporter duties
O*NET’s task list for orderlies, in order of importance, starts with the two things that define the job:
- Lift or assist others to lift patients 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
- Clean wheelchairs, hospital beds and portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs
- Respond to emergency situations, such as medical, security or fire alarms
- Change soiled linens
- Carry messages or documents between departments
- Transport portable medical equipment or supplies between rooms or departments
- Transport specimens, laboratory items or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery
Add the parts hospitals care about most: verifying patient identity before every move, checking isolation precautions, handling oxygen tanks, IV poles and monitors during transport, and handing off to the receiving nurse or technologist. Those are what separate a safe transporter from a fast one.
| Working conditions (orderlies) | Share reporting it |
|---|---|
| Constant contact with others | 95% |
| Indoors, environmentally controlled | 91% every day |
| Exposed to disease or infections | 89% every day |
| Physical proximity: very close (near touching) | 87% |
| Walking or running | 70% continually or almost continually |
| Time pressure | 68% every day |
| Consequence of error: extremely serious | 54% |
Two rows stand out. 70 percent walk continually or almost continually, so a posting should say how many miles a shift is normal and what equipment helps. And 54 percent rate the consequence of an error as extremely serious: the wrong patient on the wrong stretcher, a dropped line, a fall. Put patient identification and safe-handling training in the job description, not only in orientation.
Patient transporter job description template
Copy this into your ATS or job board, replace the bracketed fields and delete what does not apply. It is written for a hospital central transport team.
Job title
Patient Transporter [/ Patient Transport Aide / Patient Escort], [Shift], [Hospital or system name], [City, ST]
Summary
[Hospital name] is hiring a patient transporter for our [department / central transport team]. You move patients safely between units, imaging, procedures and discharge, and you are often the calm person in the hallway when a patient is anxious. You also move equipment, specimens and supplies, and keep wheelchairs and stretchers clean and ready.
[Shift, days and hours, including weekend and holiday rotation]. [Pay range and shift differentials]. [One line on what is good about the team: training, schedule, the path into clinical roles.]
What you will do
• Transport patients by wheelchair, stretcher or bed to and from units, imaging, procedures and discharge
• Verify patient identity and check the order, isolation status and any equipment before every move
• Lift and reposition patients using safe patient handling techniques and lift equipment
• Manage oxygen, IV poles and monitors during transport as trained
• Hand off each patient to the receiving nurse or technologist
• Deliver specimens, medications, documents and equipment between departments
• Clean and disinfect wheelchairs, stretchers and equipment, and report anything that needs repair
• Respond to dispatch requests on [radio / app / pager] and log each job in [system]
• Follow infection prevention, privacy and safety policies
What you need
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Able to push, pull and assist with patient transfers and to walk for most of a shift [state distances or equipment]
• Friendly and patient with people who are sick, scared or confused
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification [or within [number] days of hire; we provide the class]
• Able to pass a background check and meet health screening and vaccination requirements
Nice to have
• Hospital, nursing home or customer-facing experience
• CNA, EMT or other healthcare training
• Experience with [transport dispatch system]
What we offer
• [Pay range], [shift and weekend differentials]
• [Schedule and how far ahead it is posted]
• [Benefits and the date they start]
• [Tuition help or career ladder into CNA, patient care tech, EMT or imaging]
How to apply
[One step. Name, phone and preferred shift.]
Requirements: what to ask for, and what to drop
| Requirement | What to know |
|---|---|
| Experience | Drop it. BLS says orderlies typically need a high school diploma and receive a short period of on-the-job training. Hospital experience is a nice-to-have, not a filter. |
| Education | High school diploma or equivalent. On O*NET, 89 percent of respondents said a new hire needs one; 4 percent said a post-secondary certificate. |
| BLS (CPR) | Common and reasonable. Offer the class in the first weeks rather than making it an application requirement. |
| CNA certification | Not needed for transport-only roles. Requiring it turns the posting into a CNA posting and pulls from a smaller, better-paid pool. |
| Physical demand | Be specific about lifting help: lift equipment, two-person transfers, the heaviest single task. Name the walking. |
| Background and health screening | Standard in hospitals. Say so in the posting; see healthcare background checks for the usual steps. |
Customizing it by setting
Hospitals
BLS reports that 86 percent of orderlies work in hospitals. Name the transport model (central dispatch or unit-based), the average jobs per shift and whether the team covers the emergency department, surgery or imaging.
Imaging and surgery transporters
A radiology or OR transporter works with a narrower set of units and tighter schedules. Say so; candidates who like predictability will prefer it.
Outpatient and ambulatory centers
Ambulatory health care services employs 5 percent of orderlies and pays the highest median of the listed industries at $38,550. Expect more wheelchair escorts and discharge help, fewer bed moves.
Nights, weekends and PRN
BLS notes that orderlies may need to work nights, weekends and holidays. State the differential in dollars and how weekends rotate. For per diem roles, give the minimum commitment; see PRN staffing.
Interview questions for a patient transporter
Keep the interview short and practical. You are listening for safety instincts, calm with patients and reliability. Score each answer against the same standard with an interview scorecard.
1. You arrive to pick up a patient and the name on the request does not match the wristband. What do you do?
A good answer: stop, do not move the patient, and check with the nurse before going anywhere. Any answer that involves “probably a typo” is a no.
2. A patient says they are too dizzy to get into the wheelchair. What happens next?
Listens to the patient, tells the nurse, and does not force the transfer. Mentions asking for help or a different transfer method.
3. You have three transport requests at once. How do you decide which to take first?
Follows dispatch priority, asks when unsure, and communicates delays rather than silently reordering. Knows that a procedure or discharge time can matter more than who called first.
4. How would you help a patient who is anxious or confused during a transport?
Introduces themselves, explains where they are going, speaks calmly and keeps talking. Specific examples from any customer-facing job count.
5. What do you do with a wheelchair after you drop off a patient who was on contact precautions?
Cleans and disinfects it according to policy before anyone else uses it. Candidates without hospital experience may not know the term; a good answer still shows they would ask.
6. Tell me about a time you had to be on time every day for weeks.
Looks for reliability evidence: a job, school, sport or caregiving routine. Transport teams run on attendance.
What patient transporters earn
Orderlies had a median wage of $38,290 a year, or $18.41 an hour, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,240 and the highest 10 percent more than $50,600. Nursing assistants, the other occupation in the same BLS entry, had a median of $42,260.
| Industry | Median annual wage for orderlies (May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Ambulatory healthcare services | $38,550 |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | $38,370 |
| Administrative and support services | $38,170 |
| Special food services | $37,280 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | $35,350 |
There were 52,800 orderlies in 2025, and BLS projects that to rise 4 percent to 54,900 by 2035. For nursing assistants and orderlies together, BLS projects about 203,300 openings a year over the decade; its Employment Projections table puts openings for orderlies alone at about 7,200 a year.
What it costs to reach a patient transporter
We match patient transporters to the CNA and nursing assistant role family in our benchmark, because BLS groups orderlies with nursing assistants and the candidate pool overlaps. That family ran a median cost per applicant of $7.72 on Meta, with the middle half of campaigns between $6.18 and $12.06, a blended figure of $8.17 and an 18 percent apply rate. That is below the $13.88 median across all roles.
Across the whole benchmark, applicant conversion explains 70 percent of the variation in cost per applicant. A transporter ad that opens with shift and pay and asks for a phone number converts far better than one that sends people through a full hospital application. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire; see the full benchmark.
Staffing the rest of the unit? See the CNA, patient care technician, phlebotomist, housekeeper and EMT job descriptions, and healthcare recruiting for the hiring side.
The job description is not the job ad
The template is the document for your ATS and your onboarding. The ad has one job: getting someone scrolling on their phone to stop and apply.
- First line: shift, pay and “no healthcare experience needed” if that is true.
- Name the path. “Start in transport, train as a CNA” is the strongest line you have.
- Say it is a hospital job with steady hours and real benefits, if it is.
- One short application. Let the full hospital application come after the phone screen.
More on the ad itself is on job ad copywriting, and healthcare job ad templates has examples.
Frequently asked questions
What does a patient transporter do?
A patient transporter moves patients between hospital units, imaging, procedures and discharge using wheelchairs, stretchers or beds. They verify patient identity, help lift and transfer patients, manage equipment such as oxygen during the move, and hand off to the receiving staff. Between patients they deliver specimens, documents and equipment, and clean and disinfect the wheelchairs and stretchers they use.
What are patient transporter duties in a hospital?
Core duties are transporting patients safely, verifying identity and orders before each move, assisting with lifts and transfers, following infection prevention and isolation precautions, delivering specimens and supplies, cleaning transport equipment, responding to dispatch requests promptly, and communicating with nurses and technologists at pickup and drop-off. Many teams also help with discharges and respond to emergency calls.
What is the SOC code for a patient transporter?
Patient transporters are counted as orderlies, SOC 31-1132. O*NET lists Patient Transporter, Patient Escort and Radiology Transporter among the reported job titles for that occupation. BLS publishes orderlies in the same Occupational Outlook Handbook entry as nursing assistants but reports separate pay and employment for each.
How much do patient transporters make?
Orderlies, the occupation that includes patient transporters, had a median wage of $18.41 an hour, or $38,290 a year, in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,240 and the highest 10 percent more than $50,600. By industry, ambulatory healthcare services paid a median of $38,550 and hospitals $38,370.
What qualifications does a patient transporter need?
Typically a high school diploma or equivalent and a short period of on-the-job training, according to BLS. Hospitals usually add Basic Life Support certification, a background check and health screening. No license is required for transport-only roles, which is why the job is a common first step into hospital work.
What are good patient transporter interview questions?
Ask what they would do if a wristband does not match the transport request, how they would handle a patient too dizzy to transfer, how they prioritize several requests at once, how they calm an anxious patient, and how they clean equipment after an isolation patient. Good answers put patient safety ahead of speed and show they will ask before guessing.
Is patient transporter a hard job?
It is physically steady rather than heavy. On O*NET, 70 percent of orderlies report walking or running continually or almost continually, and 89 percent report exposure to disease or infections every day. Lift equipment and two-person transfers reduce the strain. The emotional side matters too: patients are often anxious, and a calm transporter makes a real difference.
What is the difference between a patient transporter and a CNA?
A patient transporter moves patients, equipment and specimens and is not licensed. A certified nursing assistant completes a state-approved program, passes a competency exam and provides hands-on care such as bathing, feeding and vital signs. BLS reports them in the same handbook entry, and many transporters later train as CNAs.
How much does it cost to recruit a patient transporter?
We match transporters to the CNA and nursing assistant role family in our 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. That family ran a median cost per applicant of $7.72 on Meta, with the middle half of campaigns between $6.18 and $12.06 and an 18 percent apply rate, below the $13.88 all-role median. Cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Related job descriptions
Hiring patient transporters?
The description is the document. Getting it in front of people who are not on a job board is the part we do.
Pay, employment, projection and industry data for orderlies (SOC 31-1132), the occupation that includes patient transporters: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, nursing assistants and orderlies, last modified 27 August 2026; hourly median and task, work-context and education data from O*NET OnLine 31-1132.00. Wage figures are May 2025 OEWS. Read at source 24 September 2026. Cost-per-applicant and apply-rate figures: Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark, 891 managed campaigns and 1,334 campaign-months.