Volunteer Infection Prevention Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Hospital Transport and Messenger Services

• Provides timely and accurate transport of approved materials between hospital departments, including laboratory specimens, medications, documents, supplies, and other items that would otherwise be transported through the pneumatic tube system.
• Completes scheduled delivery rounds and responds to on-demand transport requests according to established priorities and procedures.
• Prioritizes urgent and time-sensitive requests appropriately and communicates delays or concerns to the requesting or receiving department.
• Ensures materials are delivered to the correct location and appropriate individual or department.
• Follows established procedures for the safe transport and handling of laboratory specimens, medications, confidential information, and other sensitive materials.
• Maintains appropriate chain of custody, documentation, or delivery confirmation when required.
• Uses appropriate containers, carts, bags, personal protective equipment, or other equipment when transporting materials.
• Immediately reports spills, damaged containers, lost or misdirected items, exposure incidents, or other concerns in accordance with hospital procedures.
• Maintains communication with departments and other Messenger staff to coordinate routes, minimize unnecessary trips, and provide timely service.
• Assists in identifying opportunities to consolidate routine deliveries and improve the efficiency of Messenger routes and workflows.
  

Patient, Visitor and Construction Support

• Provides courteous assistance and directions to patients, visitors, and others navigating the hospital.
• Escorts patients and visitors to hospital departments or alternate routes when appropriate, particularly when normal access or pathways are affected by construction.
• Maintains awareness of temporary construction routes, department relocations, entrances, closures, and other changes affecting patient and visitor navigation.
• Identifies and reports wayfinding concerns, missing or unclear signage, blocked routes, or other issues that may create difficulty for patients and visitors.
• Assists with the delivery and distribution of construction-related notices, temporary signage, departmental communications, and other materials as requested.
• Assists with approved non-clinical errands, delivery of small supplies or equipment, interdepartmental materials, and other operational support activities as transport volume and operational needs permit.
• Provides additional non-clinical support to hospital departments during periods of lower Messenger demand, provided such duties do not interfere with timely completion of primary transport responsibilities.

General Responsibilities

• Maintains patient, employee, and organizational confidentiality and complies with HIPAA and hospital confidentiality requirements.
• Follows applicable infection prevention, safety, hazardous-material handling, and exposure-control procedures.
• Demonstrates professional, courteous, and service-oriented interactions with patients, visitors, physicians, employees, volunteers, and others.
• Maintains familiarity with the hospital campus, departments, construction-related route changes, and appropriate delivery locations.
• Participates in required education and training related to specimen handling, medication transport, confidentiality, infection prevention, construction safety, and other assigned responsibilities.
• Performs other duties as assigned consistent with the purpose and responsibilities of the position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Ability to read, understand, and follow written and verbal instructions.
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple requests in a timely manner.
• Ability to communicate effectively and courteously with patients, visitors, and hospital staff.

Age Requirement

Must be at least 18 years of age due to assigned responsibilities involving the transport and handling of medications and pharmacy-related materials.

Licensure/Certification/Registration

Must obtain and maintain Iowa Board of Pharmacy Support Person with the Iowa Board of Pharmacy as required for the position.

Preferred:

• Previous experience in a hospital, healthcare, customer service, courier, hospitality, or similar service-oriented environment.
• Familiarity with hospital operations or healthcare terminology.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Dependable and punctual with the ability to work independently.
• Ability to recognize and appropriately prioritize urgent and routine requests.
• Ability to learn hospital departments, locations, routes, and temporary construction-related access changes.
• Ability to follow detailed procedures for transporting specimens, medications, confidential information, and other sensitive materials.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise appropriate discretion.
• Ability to communicate effectively with employees from multiple departments.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities, routes, and operational needs.
• Ability to remain organized while completing frequent deliveries throughout the facility.

Language Skills

Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English at a level necessary to safely and effectively perform the essential functions of the position. Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, memos, labels, signage, and other work-related materials. Ability to write simple correspondence and documentation. Ability to effectively speak, understand, and communicate in one-on-one and small group situations with patients, families, visitors, customers, and other employees of the organization.

Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Frequent to continuous walking throughout the hospital during the work shift.
• Frequent standing and movement between hospital departments and floors.
• Ability to regularly travel throughout the facility while carrying or transporting materials.
• Frequent reaching, handling, grasping, and carrying of containers, bags, documents, supplies, and other materials.
• Ability to lift and carry up to [20–25] pounds independently and to push or pull carts or other transport equipment as required.
• Ability to bend, stoop, squat, and reach as necessary to retrieve, transport, and deliver materials.
• Ability to safely navigate hallways, elevators, doorways, temporary routes, and other areas of the hospital that may be affected by construction.
• Ability to maintain the level of physical activity necessary to complete frequent deliveries throughout the workday.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work is performed throughout multiple areas of the hospital and may involve frequent movement between departments.
• May encounter patients with infectious or communicable illnesses and must follow established infection prevention precautions.
• May transport properly contained laboratory specimens, medications, and other healthcare-related materials.
• May work in or near areas affected by active construction and temporary changes in normal hospital traffic patterns.
• Work requires frequent interaction with patients, visitors, employees, physicians, and other members of the healthcare team.

Schedule
Full-time, primarily Monday through Friday, day shift. Work schedules may be staggered with other Hospital Messenger staff to provide expanded coverage during peak operational hours. Hours may be adjusted based on hospital operational needs and transport volume.