Orderly job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

8

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Orderlies

O*NET-SOC 31-1132.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$38,290

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Orderlies (O*NET-SOC 31-1132.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Orderly” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: its O*NET occupation title, O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers. importance 4.8 of 5
2. Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds. importance 4.7 of 5
3. Disinfect or sterilize equipment or supplies, using germicides or sterilizing equipment. importance 4.7 of 5
4. Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance. importance 4.7 of 5
5. Respond to emergency situations, such as emergency medical calls, security calls, or fire alarms. importance 4.3 of 5
6. Change soiled linens, such as bed linens, drapes, or cubicle curtains. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Carry messages or documents between departments. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Transport portable medical equipment or medical supplies between rooms or departments. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials and Getting Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
• Collect and transport infectious or hazardous waste in closed containers for sterilization or disposal, in accordance with applicable law, standards, or policies.
• Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
• Collect soiled linen or trash.
• Provide physical support to patients to assist them to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
• Separate collected materials for disposal, recycling, or reuse, in accordance with environmental policies.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service and Public Safety and Security.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Windows, Electronic medical record EMR software, GE Healthcare Centricity EMR. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most orderlies surveyed by O*NET (89%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Orderly
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an Orderly to transport patients to areas such as operating rooms or x-ray rooms using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them 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, using germicides or sterilizing equipment.
- Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance.
- Respond to emergency situations, such as emergency medical calls, security calls, or fire alarms.
- Change soiled linens, such as bed linens, drapes, or cubicle curtains.
- Carry messages or documents between departments.
- Transport portable medical equipment or medical supplies between rooms or departments.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in social perceptiveness, service orientation and active listening
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Public Safety and Security
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Orderlies, the median annual wage was $38,290 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $18.41. BLS estimates about 52,440 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Orderlies to grow 4.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,200 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real orderly posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only orderly work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (social perceptiveness and service orientation): a real situation, what you did and what changed.