# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/orderlies
- SOC code: 31-1132.00
- Career family: Healthcare support
- Median annual pay: $38,290 (10th percentile $32,240, 90th percentile $50,600)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +4.0%
- Openings a year: 7,200
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 74 |
| Investigative (I) | 17 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 53 |
| Enterprising (E) | 3 |
| Conventional (C) | 64 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 83/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 81/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 81/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 79/100)
- Getting Information (importance 74/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 74/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 72/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 72/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 68/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 60/100)

## Skills

Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Writing, Reading Comprehension

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Transportation, Education and Training, Psychology, Telecommunications, Administration and Management, Communications and Media, Foreign Language

## Also called

Attendant, Cart Attendant, Clinical Support Associate, Emergency Room Orderly, Hospice Entrance Attendant, Hospital Corpsman, Hospital Orderly, Infirmary Attendant, Institutional Aide, Medical Orderly

## Related careers

- [Nursing Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/nursing-assistants): $42,260 median pay
- [Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/ambulance-drivers-and-attendants-except-emergency-medical-technicians): $35,450 median pay
- [Physical Therapist Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-therapist-aides): $35,240 median pay
- [Home Health Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/home-health-aides): $35,800 median pay
- [Surgical Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/surgical-assistants): $66,800 median pay
- [Surgical Technologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/surgical-technologists): $64,650 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.