Top 12 Patient Transporter Skills to Put on Your Resume
Crafting a standout resume as a patient transporter means spotlighting skills that prove you can move people safely, gently, and on time. Employers want confidence: comfort preserved, risks minimized, protocols followed. Put the right abilities front and center and you’ll slip past the noise fast.
Patient Transporter Skills
- CPR Certified
- HIPAA Compliance
- Patient Handling
- Wheelchair Maneuvering
- Gurney Operation
- Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Infection Control
- Time Management
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Stress Tolerance
- Safety Protocols
1. CPR Certified
CPR Certified means you’ve been formally trained to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in life-threatening emergencies when breathing or pulse stops. For a Patient Transporter, it signals readiness to act quickly during transport if a patient deteriorates.
Why It's Important
CPR certification equips transporters to intervene during cardiac or respiratory emergencies, buying critical time and protecting patient safety between care areas.
How to Improve CPR Certified Skills
Level up your CPR readiness with these actions:
Refresh routinely: Re-certify on schedule and review updated guidelines; practice compressions to current depth and rate standards.
Hands-on drills: Join mock codes and manikin practice to sharpen muscle memory.
Expand scope appropriately: Add Basic Life Support (BLS). If your role supports higher-acuity transports, consider advanced courses approved by your employer.
Peer practice: Rotate roles during simulations—compressions, AED setup, airway support—to strengthen team rhythm.
Debrief: After real events or drills, note what to tweak: positioning, role clarity, equipment access.
How to Display CPR Certified Skills on Your Resume
2. HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA Compliance means you protect patient health information—verbal, written, and electronic—using the minimum necessary and approved channels only. As a transporter, you see and hear more than you think; discretion is non-negotiable.
Why It's Important
It preserves patient privacy, meets legal requirements, and sustains trust across every handoff and hallway.
How to Improve HIPAA Compliance Skills
Train regularly: Complete required privacy and security modules; review updates and local policies.
Minimum necessary: Share only what’s needed for safe transport. No side conversations. No patient details in public spaces.
Secure handling: Shield screens and paperwork; lock devices; store transport logs properly.
Verify identity: Confirm patients with two identifiers before discussing or moving them.
Report fast: Escalate suspected breaches immediately to the privacy or compliance team.
How to Display HIPAA Compliance Skills on Your Resume
3. Patient Handling
Patient handling covers safe methods for repositioning, transferring, and mobilizing patients while protecting dignity—and your own back.
Why It's Important
Done right, it prevents falls, pressure injuries, and musculoskeletal strain. Patients feel supported, not jostled.
How to Improve Patient Handling Skills
Use assistive devices: Slide sheets, transfer boards, gait belts, and lifts when indicated; follow no-lift policies.
Body mechanics: Wide base, neutral spine, bend at hips and knees, pivot—don’t twist.
Set up the scene: Adjust bed height, lock wheels, clear pathways, and cue the team before moving.
Two-person (or more) when needed: Ask for help early. Assign roles and count down before the move.
Communicate with the patient: Explain steps, invite participation, and pause if pain or dizziness hits.
How to Display Patient Handling Skills on Your Resume
4. Wheelchair Maneuvering
Wheelchair maneuvering is the craft of navigating tight corners, thresholds, elevators, ramps, and crowds while keeping the rider stable and comfortable.
Why It's Important
It reduces fall risk, protects joints and skin, and keeps schedules flowing without mishaps.
How to Improve Wheelchair Maneuvering Skills
Secure the setup: Adjust footrests and armrests; apply seat belts if ordered; lock brakes before transfers.
Master ramps and curbs: Back down ramps for control; tip chairs only when safe and with a spotter as needed.
Read the environment: Map out routes that avoid hazards; mind door sweeps, uneven floors, and crowded corridors.
Protect your body: Keep elbows close, use your legs for power, and avoid sudden jerks.
Practice precision: Rehearse tight turns, elevator entries, and parking for imaging tables or bedside docking.
How to Display Wheelchair Maneuvering Skills on Your Resume
5. Gurney Operation
Gurney operation means you can prep, adjust, and steer stretchers safely—height, rails, brakes, monitoring lines, the whole kit—without jolts or drama.
Why It's Important
It protects fragile patients, prevents collisions, and keeps staff injury-free during fast moves.
How to Improve Gurney Operation Skills
Pre-checks: Verify brakes, side rails, mattress integrity, oxygen mounts, IV pole stability, and battery status on powered units.
Set the height: Match bed height for transfers; lower for travel to improve stability.
Manage attachments: Protect lines, drains, and catheters; assign one person to watch tubes during tight turns.
Cornering and speed: Slow into curves, announce entries at blind intersections, and use mirrors where available.
Team technique: Use two or more staff for heavier or unstable patients; align roles and count before moves.
Elevator etiquette: Enter feet first when appropriate for easier control; stabilize before doors close.
How to Display Gurney Operation Skills on Your Resume
6. Electronic Health Records (EHR)
Electronic Health Records are the digital source of truth for allergies, isolation status, fall risk, transport precautions, and timing. You need exactly what’s relevant, exactly when you need it.
Why It's Important
EHR access helps you confirm identifiers, anticipate needs (oxygen, precautions), and coordinate with receiving teams—cutting errors and delays.
How to Improve Electronic Health Records (EHR) Skills
Learn the essentials: Master where to find alerts, identifiers, isolation flags, and transport orders in your system.
Mobile workflow: If your facility supports it, use approved mobile devices for real-time updates and messaging.
Accurate documentation: Record pick-up/drop-off times and special conditions consistently; close the loop on tasks.
Privacy first: Lock screens, avoid shared logins, and step away from public viewing angles.
Raise issues: Report access problems or safety-critical information gaps to the service desk or supervisor promptly.
How to Display Electronic Health Records (EHR) Skills on Your Resume
7. Infection Control
Infection control is the disciplined routine: clean hands, proper PPE, disinfected equipment, correct isolation precautions, and safe transport routes.
Why It's Important
It stops pathogens from hitching a ride between rooms, departments, and vulnerable people.
How to Improve Infection Control Skills
Hand hygiene: Before and after every contact, after glove removal, after touching equipment, and when soiled.
PPE proficiency: Don and doff in the right order; match PPE to isolation type; dispose of it correctly.
Clean as you go: Wipe high-touch surfaces on wheelchairs, stretchers, and monitors between transports using approved disinfectants.
Route planning: Use designated pathways for isolation cases; alert receiving areas in advance.
Stay current: Complete infection prevention training and keep vaccines up to date per policy.
How to Display Infection Control Skills on Your Resume
8. Time Management
Time management means juggling incoming requests, patient readiness, transport distances, and priority levels without losing the thread.
Why It's Important
It trims wait times, keeps diagnostic schedules on track, and improves patient flow across the entire hospital.
How to Improve Time Management Skills
Prioritize by acuity and schedule: STAT and time-sensitive studies first; batch trips by location when possible.
Use your tools: Leverage dispatch software, radios, and EHR messaging to coordinate and confirm readiness.
Prep ahead: Stage oxygen, linens, and equipment; check batteries and backups to avoid last-minute scrambles.
Build buffers: Anticipate elevator delays, shift changes, and cleaning time; communicate ETA changes early.
Track and tune: Note common bottlenecks and propose small tweaks—pickup windows, signage, or routing—to your lead.
How to Display Time Management Skills on Your Resume
9. Communication
Communication is the steady flow of clear, kind, and timely information among patients, nurses, techs, and receiving teams. No assumptions left hanging.
Why It's Important
It prevents errors, calms anxiety, and synchronizes care so transports start—and finish—smoothly.
How to Improve Communication Skills
Active listening: Confirm understanding; reflect back key points; watch nonverbal cues.
Plain language: Short sentences. No jargon. Explain the next step and the “why.”
Teach-back: Ask patients to repeat key instructions to verify clarity.
Structured handoffs: Use a consistent format (e.g., SBAR) when relaying status, precautions, and special needs.
De-escalation: Keep your tone steady, acknowledge concerns, and set expectations in tense moments.
How to Display Communication Skills on Your Resume
10. Teamwork
Teamwork for transporters is seamless collaboration with nursing, imaging, lab, EVS, and admitting—everyone moving in the same direction.
Why It's Important
It shortens turnaround times, elevates safety, and makes the entire patient journey feel coordinated instead of chaotic.
How to Improve Teamwork Skills
Align roles: Agree who’s guiding, who’s watching lines, who’s clearing the route—before the move.
Brief and debrief: Quick huddles to plan; short recaps to capture lessons and near-misses.
Be reliable: Show up when paged, report realistic ETAs, and follow through.
Shared goals: Focus on patient comfort, on-time arrivals, and zero preventable events.
Use secure channels: Send updates through approved messaging or dispatch systems to keep teams synced.
How to Display Teamwork Skills on Your Resume
11. Stress Tolerance
Stress tolerance is staying steady under alarms, delays, and sudden changes—thinking clearly when the tempo spikes.
Why It's Important
Calm minds make safer choices. Patients feel it. Colleagues do too.
How to Improve Stress Tolerance Skills
Controlled breathing: Use box or paced breathing during spikes to reset quickly.
Micro-breaks: Short pauses between transports—hydrate, stretch, reset posture.
Plan the next step: When overwhelmed, choose the single next action; act, then reassess.
Peer support: Speak up early to leads or coworkers for help with heavy or back-to-back requests.
Recovery basics: Sleep, nutrition, and movement—small daily habits blunt the load of a busy shift.
How to Display Stress Tolerance Skills on Your Resume
12. Safety Protocols
Safety protocols are the checklists, standards, and common-sense steps that keep patients, staff, and equipment out of harm’s way during every move.
Why It's Important
They prevent injuries, standardize quality, and keep operations compliant with healthcare regulations.
How to Improve Safety Protocols Skills
Train and retrain: Complete orientation, refreshers, and drills for emergencies and specialty transports.
Equipment checks: Inspect brakes, wheels, rails, oxygen, and monitors before use; remove defective gear from service.
Clear communication: Use handoff protocols and read-back critical details like isolation status or fall risk.
Incident learning: Report hazards, near-misses, and injuries; apply fixes and share takeaways.
PPE and signage: Wear required protection and honor posted precautions and restricted routes.
Know the codes: Understand emergency codes and evacuation routes; practice response paths.
How to Display Safety Protocols Skills on Your Resume
