Baptist Health
Healthcare jobs hiring now across the United States
1 job
Patient Sitter Jobs
Patient Sitter pay and benefits
A sitter is ordered for a patient rather than assigned to a unit, so the work moves with the order: a fall risk on a medical floor today, a behavioral hold in the emergency department tomorrow. Hospitals staff it around the clock.
Median Salaryof Patient Sitter
No data yet
Top Benefitsof Patient Sitter
No data yet
What hospitals call this job
Hospitals name this job after the reason it exists, and the words vary by system. Patient sitter and sitter are the common ones. Safety attendant and patient safety companion turn up where the role is written around fall and elopement risk, and patient attendant and nursing sitter sit on older job codes. Constant observation is the phrase in the order itself. The unit calls one patient per sitter one-to-one, and several rooms watched on one screen tele-sitting.
Patient Sitter jobs by state
1More nursing roles
6Your questions about patient sitter jobs, answered
- What does a patient sitter do?
Stays with a patient who can't safely be left alone and calls the nurse when something changes. The reasons are fall risk, confusion, agitation, a self-harm concern, a patient pulling at lines and tubes, a patient likely to walk off the unit. It's continuous observation for a whole shift, at the bedside or on a video monitor covering several rooms.
- Do you need a certification to be a patient sitter?
A high school diploma is the common ask. Employers add BLS, often as something you complete during orientation rather than before you apply, and some hospitals prefer a nursing assistant certificate on top.
- What's the difference between a patient sitter and a nursing assistant?
It comes down to scope. A sitter observes and reports; a nursing assistant gives hands-on care, takes vitals, and holds a state certification. Some employers do ask sitters to help with small tasks, so the duty list is the part to read.
- What hours do patient sitter jobs run?
Whole shifts, most often 12 hours, and the need runs heaviest overnight. Hospitals staff much of it shift by shift rather than as standing lines.