Profession hospital porter

Hospital porters are professional healthcare assistants who transport people on stretchers around the hospital site, as well as and items.

Would you like to know what kind of career and professions suit you best? Take our free Holland code career test and find out.

Personality Type

• Conventional / Realistic
• Social / Realistic
• Realistic / Conventional
• Realistic / Investigative

Knowledge

• Operational tactics for emergency responses

  The characteristics and proceedings of operational tactics for emergency responses especially at major incidents and catastrophes.

• Transportation methods

  Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and optimal work strategies.

• Disorders of vital functions

  The characteristics and disorders of vital functions, consciousness and unconsciousness, respiratory and circulatory system, bleeding, shocks, artificial respiration.

• Clinical science

  The research and development of the techniques and equipment used by medical staff to prevent, diagnose and treat illness.

• Principles of paramedic practice

  The theories and science that underpin the theory and principles of paramedic practice.

• Human anatomy

  The dynamic relationship of human structure and function and the muscosceletal, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, integumentary and nervous systems; normal and altered anatomy and physiology throughout the human lifespan.

• First aid

  The emergency treatment given to a sick or injured person in the case of circulatory and/or respiratory failure, unconsciousness, wounds, bleeding, shock or poisoning.

• Emergency cases

  The emergency cases with different disease patterns and syndromes, the special emergency cases and their appropriate interventions.

Skills

• Conduct physical examination in emergency

  Conduct a thorough and detailed physical examination of the patient in emergency situations, using assessment skills such as observation, palpation, and auscultation and formulating diagnoses across all age ranges, followed by the calling for specialist when available.

• Manage major incidents

  Take immediate action to respond to major incidents that affect the safety and security of individuals in private or public places such as road accidents.

• Operate specialised equipment in emergency

  Operate equipment such as external defibrillators and bag-valve mask resuscitators, spinal and traction splints and intravenous drips in advanced life-support environments, taking electrocardiograms when required.

• Accept own accountability

  Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.

• Interact with healthcare users

  Communicate with clients and their carer’s, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguarding confidentiality.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Listen actively

  Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Employ specific paramedic techniques in out-of-hospital care

  Use appropriate techniques in paramedical practice such as IV therapy, drug administration, cardioversion, and emergency surgical techniques.

• Transport patient to medical facility

  Assist in lifting and carrying of the patient into the emergency vehicle for transport, and into the receiving medical facility on arrival.

• Tolerate stress

  Maintain a temperate mental state and effective performance under pressure or adverse circumstances.

• Comply with legislation related to health care

  Comply with the regional and national legislation that is relevant to one`s work and apply it in practice.

• Select hazard control

  Perform appropriate selection of hazard control measures and risk management

• Follow clinical guidelines

  Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.

• Ensure safety of healthcare users

  Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

• Assess nature of injury in emergency

  Assess the nature and extent of injury or illness to establish and prioritise a plan for medical treatment.

• Deal with emergency care situations

  Assess the signs and be well-prepared for a situation that poses an immediate threat to a person's health, security, property or environment.  

• Apply context specific clinical competences

  Apply professional and evidence based assessment, goal setting, delivery of intervention and evaluation of clients, taking into account the developmental and contextual history of the clients, within one`s own scope of practice.

• Prioritise emergencies

  Determine the level of risk of an emergency situation and balance the dispatch of ambulances to emergency situations accordingly.

• Immobilise patients for emergency intervention

  Immobilise the patient using a backboard or other spinal immobilisation device, preparing the patient for stretcher and ambulance transport.

• Monitor patient's vital signs

  Monitor and analyse vital signs of heart, respiration, and blood pressure.

• Communicate effectively in healthcare

  Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.

• Position patients undergoing interventions

  Position or immobilise patients correctly for safe and effective interventions.

• Operate an emergency communication system

  Efficiently operate common communication systems used in emergencies, such as base station mobile transmitters and receivers, portable transmitters and receivers, repeaters, cellular phones, pagers, automated vehicle locators, and satellite phones as required.

• Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice

  Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.

• Adapt to emergency care environment

  Adapt practice to ensure that needs of patients within the emergency and urgent care environment are met.

• Respond to changing situations in health care

  Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.

• Provide first aid

  Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.

• Transfer patients

  Use the most appropriate techniques to handle and move patients in and out of an ambulance, hospital bed, wheelchair, etc.

• Apply good clinical practices

  Ensure compliance with and application of the ethical and scientific quality standards used to conduct, record and report clinical trials that involve human participation, at an international level.

• Observe confidentiality

  Observe the set of rules establishing the nondisclosure of information except to another authorised person.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB