Q&A

You can apply any way you like! If you are interested, you can either call the NHS up front and ask for any available spaces or you can apply on the NHS website! That simple!

Porters generally work around 5 to 6 hours a day and shifts include early mornings, afternoons, evenings, late nights and weekends. May be difficult to keep up but it is extremely rewarding and watching patients getting cured because of your help is fulfilling and worthwhile. 

Of course! Being a porter is a very underated job but it is actually a very important job, as it help to deliver specimens and medicines to help with tests and keep the patients healthy. It is also very rewarding as you are helping people but also is a very social job. It may not be any 'expensive' jobs like lawyers and luitenants but being a porter is a very valuable job. In short, the porter is the heartbeat of a running hospital!

You need to be patient, caring and is able to solve problems and deal with emotional difficulties from patients. You also need to be able to bring up conversations because responsibilities as a porter is being able to let the patient feel safe and well. However if you are shy then you can be a kitchen or dirty linen porter. There is something for everyone.

It is not a particularly easy thing to do to get screamed at or seeing a patient suffer, not knowing what they are going through. However, things to deal with it are as follows:

Have tolarency- being able to have patience with the person.

Be able to find solutions- if the patient is unable to control their emotions
Have a wide range of communication options- in case the patient has communication problems such as being non-verbal or deaf so you need to come up with alternative communication ways, like sign language.

However if they frequently have outbursts there will be someone on hand aswell- your never alone.

Unfortunately, jobs as a porter is very underrated, meaning that it isn't very well recognised so many hospitals such as the NHS are very low in porter employments. But fortunately for you it seems that they will be very available and free to have an extra, caring porter.