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Orderly
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{{short description|Unlicensed hospital assistant}} {{Distinguish|personal care assistant|unlicensed assistive personnel|patient care assistant|certified nurse assistant|Military orderly}} {{Other uses}} {{More citations needed|date=October 2017}} In [[healthcare]], an '''orderly''' (also known as a '''ward assistant''', '''nurse assistant''' or '''healthcare assistant''') is a [[hospital]] attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and nursing staff with various nursing and medical interventions. These duties are classified as routine tasks involving no risk for the patient.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/orderly|title=orderly in the Cambridge English Dictionary|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|language=en|access-date=2017-10-07}}</ref> ==Job details== {{See also|Activities of daily living assistance}}{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2017}} Orderlies are often utilized in various hospital departments. Orderly duties can range in scope depending on the area of the health care facility they are employed. For that reason, duties can range from assisting in the physical restraint of combative patients, assisting physicians with the application of [[orthopedic cast|cast]]s, [[patient transport| transporting patient]]s, [[shaving]] patients, and providing other similar routine [[personal care]] to setting up specialised hospital equipment such as bed [[traction (orthopedics)|traction]] arrays. Orderlies are typically found in [[emergency department]]s, [[operating room]]s, [[psychiatric ward]]s, [[long-term care]] facilities, and [[orthopaedics]] departments. Orderlies are described as nonlicensed hospital assistants who are instructed to perform delegated functions under the direct supervision of a licensed practitioner in the [[healthcare]] setting. In the United States, orderlies have been phased out of healthcare facilities in recent years, their functions having been replaced by [[patient care assistant]]s and [[certified nursing assistant]]s. Orderlies in United Kingdom hospitals were known as "attendants" (primarily in [[lunatic asylum]]s), but that role has been phased out. The nearest role left to a male hospital assistant is that of [[Hospital porter|porter]], but that is more a logistical role, moving patients and equipment around the hospital. This is not to be confused with [[healthcare assistant]]s, who are essentially carers for patients (not qualified or licensed health care professionals), and may be of both sexes. A common setup among hospitals in Australia is seen at the [[Royal Adelaide Hospital]] in [[Adelaide, South Australia]]. At the RAH, the orderly service is contracted to [[Spotless (Australian business)|Spotless]], a national corporation. There are around eighty orderlies employed by Spotless at the Royal Adelaide alone. They are tasked with the movement of patients and equipment between wards and departments, the movement of patients from ambulances in triage, the movement of patients from MedStar retrieval helicopters that land at the hospital, the movement of deceased patients to the [[mortuary]], and various other tasks. They respond to every medical emergency team call that originates within the hospital to provide extra oxygen and so that the patient is able to be moved to another area (such as the [[intensive care unit]]) as soon as is required. Some orderlies are stationed in particular departments, but most remain in the "pool" and are dispatched throughout the hospital. In The Royal Brisbane and Womans Hospital in Queensland, orderlies known as patient support officers not only handle patients but are also required to do all cleaning within the hospital. ==See also== {{Portal|Medicine}} * [[Certified Nursing Assistant]] * [[Activities of daily living assistance]] == References == {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{Wiktionary-inline}} {{Hospital articles}} [[Category:Health care occupations]]
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