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Career

Orderlies

Typical education: High school diplomaHigh pressure

What they do

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. Psychiatric orderlies are included in Psychiatric Aides.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $38,290 Median per year · $18.41/hr Most earn $32,240–$50,600

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Carry messages or documents between departments.
  • Transport portable medical equipment or medical supplies between rooms or departments.
  • Collect soiled linen or trash.
  • Separate collected materials for disposal, recycling, or reuse, in accordance with environmental policies.
  • Restrain patients to prevent violence or injury or to assist physicians or nurses to administer treatments.
  • Clean equipment, such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, or portable medical equipment, documenting needed repairs or maintenance.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 7,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • General medical and surgical hospitals83.7%
  • Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities)2.6%
  • Offices of physicians2.0%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: None

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: NoneEntry-level

Orderly is an entry-level job. Most people start with a high school diploma and no prior work experience, so you can often begin right after school. Pay and job outlook are on the career page, which shows typical pay near you and nationally.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finish high school and build basic skills in reading, math, and communication, which help with patient charts, instructions, and teamwork.

  2. Orderly

    Learned on the job

    Start as an orderly in a hospital or clinic, where you learn to move patients safely and keep supplies and equipment ready. This hands-on work can lead to other patient care jobs.

Where it can lead

  1. Nursing Assistant

    A few months of hospital or clinic work of experience first

    You move into direct patient care, helping with bathing, eating, and daily needs, after completing a certificate program or apprenticeship that teaches more medical skills.

  2. Medical Assistant

    A few months to 1 year of patient care or clinic work of experience first

    You take on clinic tasks such as taking vital signs, preparing patients for exams, and some administrative work, usually after a certificate program.

  3. Surgical Technologist

    6 months to 1 year of hospital support work of experience first

    You prepare operating rooms and instruments and help surgeons during procedures, which takes a certificate or apprenticeship and careful training.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology and health classesThese give you basic knowledge of the body and medical terms that you will use every day as an orderly.
  • Volunteer at a hospital, nursing home, or care centerVolunteering shows you what patient care feels like and gives you a reference for future jobs.
  • Get a starter job that involves lifting, moving, or helping othersJobs like stocking, food service, or retail build reliability and physical stamina that employers look for.
  • Take a first aid or CPR classMany schools and towns offer these, and they show employers you can stay calm and act in an emergency.
  • Join a health occupations club or a community service groupThese groups build teamwork and communication skills and can connect you with local healthcare workers.

In college

  • Take anatomy, physiology, and medical terminology coursesThese classes give you the vocabulary and body knowledge that help you understand patient needs and follow instructions.
  • Work as a hospital or clinic aide, patient transport helper, or campus job in health servicesHands-on work gives you real experience and often is the exact entry point into this career.
  • Get CPR and basic life support certificationMany healthcare employers ask for this, and it shows you can respond in an emergency.
  • Join a pre-health or health sciences student groupClubs connect you with people in healthcare and may offer shadowing or guest speakers.
  • Consider a nursing assistant or medical assistant certificate programA certificate can open the door to more patient care roles and higher responsibility over time.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask a hospital, clinic, or nursing home if they hire part-time or summer orderlies, and ask what training they provide.
  • Get comfortable with physical work and with calm communication, since you will move patients and talk with people who may be scared or in pain.
  • Look for a certificate program in nursing assistant or medical assistant if you want to move up; many schools and community colleges offer them.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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