Position Overview
A medical transportation driver is hired by either hospitals, or companies that provide transportation services to healthcare facilities. These people may work in either an emergency or a non-emergency capacity, depending on their individual placement.
The main work of a person working as a medical transportation driver is to drive a van or transit from one place to another, to transport patients, healthcare professionals, lab specimens, and medical documents.
Requirements
While you do not need more than a high school diploma or a GED to work as a medical transportation driver, it is important to possess exceptional skills in driving and maintaining a vehicle used for transportation of people, samples and documents.
A valid driver’s license, and a clean driving record are also prerequisites of working as a medical transportation driver. While working at this position, it is important for you to be able to communicate effectively with people, make sure that you understand instructions properly, and have it in you to be able to handle adversaries such as inclement weather and delays, in a proper manner.
Furthermore, it is important for people working as medical transportation drivers to be hands-on in performing minor repairs and maintenance on the vehicles that they have been assigned. Some of the main duties that you will be expected to perform in the role of a medical transportation driver include:
Medical Transportation Driver Duties and Responsibilities
• Perform pre-trip inspections on assigned vehicles to ensure that they are in good working order.
• Prepare vehicles for transports by ensuring that both patients’ sitting or lying down areas are cleared.
• Assist medical staff members in helping patients board the van or transit, and ensure that they are properly strapped in.
• Take instructions from dispatch teams regarding destinations and timelines, and ensure that both are taken into account when making deliveries of transports.
• Use standard maps or the GPS to map out short and safe routes to destinations.
• Drive assigned vehicles along predetermined routes, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all onboard.
• Assist members of the medical staff in unloading patients, samples and documents in a safe manner.
• Provide updates to dispatch units regarding the statuses of deliveries and transports.
• Ascertain that assigned vehicles are properly parked in their assigned areas / spots at the end of the shift.
• Perform both preventative and regular maintenance on assigned vans or transits.
• Provide supervisors with information on any issues or problems that may surface during regular vehicle checkups.