What is a hospital porter?

A hospital porter is essentially an errand runner for the nurses or on-staff physicians. Tasks include moving machinery, transporting patients and many other mundane but important tasks to ensure the smooth flow of operations at the hospital they are working at. This job can be done either as a paid position or on a volunteer basis and is primarily an indoor, in-hospital type of job. Applicants are only encouraged to pursue this type of work if they can handle stressful situations, have a good general understanding of basic medical terms (i.e. difference between a CT scanner, MRI, blood samples, etc.) and be confident in dealing directly with patients of all types. Since the patient turnover is so frequent, it is also important to have a strong bill of mental health and a positive and approachable attitude without getting attached. Experience in an interpersonal environment is an asset for this type of work.

It should be mentioned that hospital porter is a position found in the U.K.