Orderlies move patients and equipment through a hospital or nursing home. They take a patient to imaging, help turn and lift, and keep beds and supplies where the nurses need them.
Hospitals and nursing homes employ most of them. The job needs no license, so it competes with warehouses and retail for the same people.
The work
You take transport calls, move patients safely, and clean and stock rooms as you go through the building. A slow transport can back up imaging, a procedure, or a discharge that a family is waiting on.
You are on your feet for most of the shift, often pushing a bed or a wheelchair. Safe lifting and a calm voice matter as much as speed does.
License and training
No state licenses orderlies. Employers train on lifting, infection control, and patient privacy. Some ask for basic life support.
Questions
Do orderlies need a license?
No state license is required. Employers train on the job, and some also ask for a basic life support card.
Where can the job lead?
Many orderlies move into CNA, patient care tech, or nursing roles once they know the hospital.
Metros
- Birmingham, AL
- Anchorage, AK
- Phoenix, AZ
- Little Rock, AR
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Modesto, CA
- Riverside, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Maria, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Boulder, CO
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Denver, CO
- Fort Collins, CO
- Bridgeport, CT
- Hartford, CT
- Norwich, CT
- Waterbury, CT
- Washington, DC
- Deltona, FL
- Jacksonville, FL
- Miami, FL
- North Port, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Palm Bay, FL
- Pensacola, FL
- Port St. Lucie, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Atlanta, GA
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA
- Columbus, GA
- Macon-Bibb County, GA
- Savannah, GA
- Warner Robins, GA
- Urban Honolulu, HI
- Boise City, ID
- Chicago, IL
- Rockford, IL
- Evansville, IN
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Indianapolis, IN
- South Bend, IN
- Des Moines, IA
- Louisville, KY
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Lafayette, LA
- Monroe, LA
- New Orleans, LA
- Shreveport, LA
- Baltimore, MD
- Hagerstown, MD
- Boston, MA
- Worcester, MA
- Detroit, MI
- Flint, MI
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Traverse City, MI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Rochester, MN
- Gulfport, MS
- Hattiesburg, MS
- Jackson, MS
- Kansas City, MO
- St. Louis, MO
- Las Vegas, NV
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Trenton, NJ
- Albuquerque, NM
- Albany, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Kiryas Joel, NY
- New York, NY
- Rochester, NY
- Syracuse, NY
- Utica, NY
- Charlotte, NC
- Fayetteville, NC
- Greensboro, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Winston-Salem, NC
- Akron, OH
- Canton, OH
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbus, OH
- Toledo, OH
- Youngstown, OH
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Tulsa, OK
- Portland, OR
- Allentown, PA
- Altoona, PA
- Harrisburg, PA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Reading, PA
- York, PA
- Providence, RI
- Florence, SC
- Greenville, SC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Kingsport, TN
- Memphis, TN
- Nashville, TN
- Austin, TX
- Dallas, TX
- El Paso, TX
- Houston, TX
- McAllen, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Richmond, VA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Seattle, WA
- Green Bay, WI
- Milwaukee, WI