Healthcare Support
Orderlies
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.
Also called: Attendant, Operating Room Assistant, Orderly, Patient Care Assistant (PCA), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Patient Escort
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $39,800
- $19.14/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,330
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +1.8%
- 220 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Short-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $37,510 | $38,150 | $39,800 | $46,840 | $51,180 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d 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.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure10 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 3
- Language-model AIOE 15
- GPTs-are-GPTs 13
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. A tool might help with notes about equipment repairs. Lifting and moving patients, disinfecting equipment, and responding to emergencies are physical, in-person tasks that AI tools do not do.
Likely to change
- Documenting equipment that needs repair
- Tracking cleaning and supply records
Still relies on people
- Lifting and moving patients safely
- Responding to emergency calls in person
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
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Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
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