PATIENT TRANSPORTER

Independence Health System Inc.; Latrobe (Westmoreland County); On-site; USD 19,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Independence Health System is seeking a Hospital Transporter to move patients within the hospital using wheelchairs or carts, ensuring safety, proper identification, and isolation precautions when required. The role involves coordinating with charge nurses, dispatching team members, and maintaining transport equipment throughout the day.

Responsibilities include communicating transport plans to patients, selecting appropriate transport modes, and preserving patient privacy.

Qualifications

• Must be 18 years of age.
• Strong leadership ability, good organizational skills, independent and critical thinking skills, sound judgment.
• Strong ability to communicate complex topics to a wide audience.
• Basic working knowledge of computers and office equipment.

Responsibilities

• Introduce self to patient and explain transport plan and destination.
• Ensure proper mode of transport considering patient condition and safety.
• Transfer patient to/from cart or wheelchair safely and operate transport equipment.
• Identify patient prior to transport and verify ID bracelets.
• Coordinate transport tasks with nursing staff and dispatchers.
• Maintain transport equipment and report broken equipment.
• Assist in coordinating patient trips and obtain necessary permissions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Critical thinking

Computer skills

Job description

Hospital-wide, as a member of a Transport TEAM, provides timely individual patient transport via wheelchair or cart, primarily for designated inpatients and occasional outpatients, transporting patients for designated testing, therapy, treatment, pre or post-operative care or admission/discharge. Shift assignment of patient transporter employees is pre-set by the Patient Transporter, Supervisor, who also performs dispatching duties throughout the day-shift (peak transport times) via cell phone to each TEAM patient transporter. Responsible to coordinate patient transport with assigned charge nurse (inpatient) or technician and then safely and efficiently transport the patient, IV equipment, monitoring equipment, the medical record and oxygen equipment as required with any assigned transport. In addition, job assignments may include stock maintenance/distribution of oxygen tanks and regulators to assigned departments in the hospital.

Essential Job Functions

• Introduces self to patient and explains transport plan and destination.
  • States own name and describes mode of transportation being used and destination to patient.
  • Retrieves patient's nurse if patient has questions regarding tests/therapy where they are being transferred to.
  • Obtains permission from patient’s nurse to transport patient off floor for testing/procedure
• Provides for appropriate mode of transportation considering the patient's condition, comfort, and any safety factors.
  • Uses critical thinking skills to determine mode of transport.
  • Contacts nursing staff with questions related to transport and gets a ticket-to-ride (TTR) signed by registered nurse (RN).
  • Coordinates tasks when able.
  • Anticipates problems and follows through.
• Transfers patient to/from cart, wheelchair, or other transport vehicle according to procedure and is knowledgeable and effectively operates transport equipment.
  • Maintains proper body mechanics.
  • Uses patient lift equipment.
  • Seeks assistance when necessary, i.e. carts, electronic devices, etc.
• Identifies patient prior to transport.
  • Asks patient to state their name.
  • Checks patient identification bracelet.
  • Alerts staff when patient's bracelet is missing.
• Completes tasks as assigned through capacity management.
• Determines patient code status prior to transport.
  • Checks Capacity Management for (LH entity)
  • Reminds staff when (LH entity)
• Uses appropriate isolation techniques and complies with universal precautions.
  • According to isolation posting, secures and dons appropriate protective equipment before entering patient’s room.
  • Removes their PPE and follows hand washing protocol before taking patient out of room.
  • Ensures patient is wearing PPE, when appropriate, before taking patient out of their room.
• Stores and cleans transport equipment appropriately throughout the day.
  • Reports broken equipment.
  • Returns transport equipment to department when able.
• Assists in coordinating patient trips.
  • Obtains permission from nursing staff for patient transport from one ancillary department to another.
• Other duties as assigned.

Specialty Functions

• Communication with patients/family/department coworkers/ancillary departments and supervisors essential for the function of successful performance of this job.
  • Communicates effectively with patient/family, visitors and other members of the healthcare team
  • Maintains ongoing shift communication (daylight shift) with the Patient Transporter, Supervisor for patient delays, issues, problems and temporary reassignment as necessary to keep patient throughput efficient
  • Uses chain of command in the department effectively.
  • Maintains dignity and confidentiality of all patients encountered at Independence Health System, directly or indirectly.
  • Ensures transport cell phone is working properly, transferring phone to patient transporter on duty or appropriate voice mail direction per Independence Health System standards.
  • Responsible to check in with and assist co-workers with lift help or transport of difficult patients or volume patient load during any down-time period
• Safely transport of patients within the hospital for testing, procedures, surgery, treatment or admission/discharge
  • Operate wheelchairs for safe transport of patients within the hospital, following patient safety practices
  • Operate transport carts for safe transport of patients within the hospital, following patient safety practices
  • Assist patients onto transport carts or into wheelchairs for in-house transport
  • Practice infection control procedures, per policy for infectious / isolation patients
  • Provide assistance for patients who become ill and need immediate attention (vomiting, CPR, etc.)
  • Coordinate proper transport of the correct inpatient (or outpatient) for assigned testing or procedure, including the correct medical record, as coordinated and assigned by the physician, and/or assigned registered nurse
  • Maintain patient privacy, dignity and confidentiality throughout transports and hospital stay per policy
  • Provide positive communication at all time with hospital patients
  • Keep daily productivity / Capacity Management of all transports and activity.
  • Coordinate delivery of patients with receiving department, technicians, signing in at required log stations and reporting special needs of patients requiring special attention of the receiving department
• Safely transports assigned equipment or specimens, as necessary and time allows, with patient transport being the hospital priority.
  • Assist nursing staff with specimen or special situation equipment transport, as assigned by Patient Transporter, Supervisor
  • delivery of stock oxygen tanks or regulators to pre-assigned departments
• Provides in-house direction and customer service support for organizational excellence.
  • Assist hospital customers/visitors with directional information, as appropriate throughout the hospital throughout shift, as appropriate
  • Serves as greeter for visitors, patients and employees entering Independence Health System. In addition to performing basic customer service and reception duties. Screens all visitors prior to entering and logs visitors in tracking program as appropriate.
  • Greet and assist patients/visitors as they enter the main entrance of the hospital.

Competency and Experience [Knowledge, Skills and Abilities]

Required Qualifications

• Must be 18 years of age.
• Strong leadership ability, good organizational skills, independent and critical thinking skills, sound judgment.
• Strong ability to communicate complex and/or controversial topics and concepts to a wide and diverse audience.
• Basic working knowledge of computers and office equipment

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working with patients.

License, Certification & Clearances

• Basic Life Support (BLS) approved curriculum of the American Heart Association (CPR and AED) program Required
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities, but does serve as a coach and mentor for other positions in the department.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• Incumbent will be scheduled based on operational need (rotate shifts, standby, on-call, etc.).
• Travel may be expected locally between System locations.

Independence Health and its affiliated companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. It is their policy to prohibit discrimination of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or genetic information, or any other classification protected by law. Independence Health and its affiliated companies will comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Disclaimer

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Moreover, duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Effective March 2020 or during pandemic: goggles, face shield and mask are required according to CDC guidelines

When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2 person) and/or transfer device is required.

Essential – Absolute Necessity.

Marginal – Minimal Necessity.

Constantly – 5.5 to 8 hours or more or 200 reps/shift.

Frequently – 2.5 to 5.5 hours or more or 32-200 reps/shift.

Occasionally – 0.25 to 2.5 hours or 2-32 reps/shift.

Rarely – Less than 0.25 hours or less than 2 reps/shift.

Physical Condition

Marginal

Constantly

Frequently

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Physical Demands

When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2 person) and/or transfer device is required.

Essential – Absolute Necessity.

Marginal – Minimal Necessity.

Constantly – 5.5 to 8 hours or more or 200 reps/shift.

Frequently – 2.5 to 5.5 hours or more or 32-200 reps/shift.

Occasionally – 0.25 to 2.5 hours or 2-32 reps/shift.

Rarely – Less than 0.25 hours or less than 2 reps/shift.

Physical Condition

Marginal

Constantly

Frequently

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

Lifting Floor to Knuckle

10#

Lifting Seat Pan to Knuckle

50#

Lifting Knuckle to Shoulder

10#

20#

Lifting Shoulder to Overhead

10#

When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2 person) and/or transfer device is required.

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50#

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20#

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20#

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10#

20#