Patient Sitter Job Descriptions

Create your own Patient Sitter job description, or find job description examples you can re-use to hire faster.

Patient Sitter Job Description

Patient sitters are healthcare workers who tend to work in hospitals and nursing homes. It’s their job to observe patients in these facilities and monitor their health conditions. Patient sitters usually work under the supervision of trained nurses. A patient sitter may be asked to complete a variety of tasks while observing patients. For example, they might need to record the patient’s food and liquid intake, report any changes that occur to senior staff members, and help the patient move in and out of bed. Employees in this role may also help the patients they work with eat or walk around their room. Patient sitters need to be patient, empathetic, and have excellent interpersonal skills. 

Patient Sitter Job Description Template

Our facility is looking to add a compassionate patient sitter to its team. In this role, you will be responsible for observing our patients and monitoring their health conditions. You will provide relief to patients and their family members who are concerned about them. As part of this role, you may be asked to sit and spend time with individuals who are antagonistic, distressed, dying, or even suicidal. You will need to be comfortable with dealing with a wide variety of patient types.

Your tasks will also involve helping patients who need it with daily living tasks, such as eating and getting out of bed or moving around. If you notice any changes in a patient’s condition, you will be responsible for reporting it to a supervisor as soon as possible. We’d love to see your resume if you believe that you would do well in this role.

Patient Sitter Responsibilities:

  • Sit with patients who are highly distressed
  • Provide comfort to patients through conversations
  • Support the patients who need it with daily living tasks such as eating and moving
  • Report any changes in a patient’s condition to a supervising nurse
  • Adhere to all company policies and legal requirements at all times

Patient Sitter Requirements:

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Previous experience working directly with patients is a plus
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to support the needs of diverse patients
  • Ability to work at odd hours based on scheduling needs
  • Ability to perform basic nursing functions such as taking vitals

Patient Sitter FAQ

What tasks does a patient sitter complete?

A patient sitter’s main responsibility is to sit with patients who need observation. They will take the patient’s vital signs and watch to ensure that they don’t deteriorate. Individuals in this role will also communicate with the patient to lift their spirits. Finally, they may also need to help patients with some basic daily living tasks such as eating or getting out of bed.

What should I include in my patient sitter help-wanted ads?

We recommend that you follow the same strategy that we’ve used in our template. Begin with a few paragraphs in which you talk about the job generally. This is where you should highlight the information that you think will appeal to your applicants the most. After that, you can create two bulleted lists that talk about the job’s responsibilities and requirements in more depth.

Can I use your patient sitter job description template?

You can absolutely use our job description template however you see fit. Just make sure that you’re including enough unique information about your position to make it stand out to your applicants. For example, you may need to add additional requirements or responsibilities that aren’t listed above. Doing so is an important part of ensuring that your applicants have all relevant information before applying for your job.

Frequently Asked Questions about hiring a Patient Sitter

What is the best way to find and hire a Patient Sitter near me?
Online job boards are the best place to find qualified Patient Sitter applicants. Employers posting their Patient Sitter job on Indeed get about 16 applications from that board on average.
Which job boards should I post on to find Patient Sitter applicants?
You should post to multiple job boards at once. The most successful job postings for a Patient Sitter are on Indeed – but on average, employers post to 13 boards at the same time, using tools like Workstream. Publishing to multiple job boards at once helps you get your first applicant in 22 hours on average, which is shorter than the national average for Patient Sitter positions.
What's the best way to communicate with applicants looking for a Patient Sitter role?
SMS has 95% open rates which is higher than phone call or Email. Text to hire today!
Is it OK to text Patient Sitter job applicants?
Hourly paid workers, such as Patient Sitters are actually more engaged when texting about jobs. We have found that text messages are 144% better than email at getting an applicant's response. Have a look at Workstream, which automates the process of texting and uses a phone number specifically assigned to your job post so you don’t have to use your personal phone.
Can I use a different phone number to engage Patient Sitter applicants via text message?
Yes, tools such as Workstream provide custom phone numbers that allow employers to engage with applicants through their tool without having to use a personal or business cell phone.

Try out Workstream to hire a Patient Sitter for
your Healthcare business

A revolutionary hiring process for Healthcare positions

A revolutionary hiring process for Healthcare positions Hiring restaurant staff in San Francisco can be a tough job. Workstream can help accelerate the process by letting you post on job boards like Indeed within seconds.


1-Click Job Posting

No more tedious copy and pasting. We integrate with all the top job boards. All applicants funnel into one intuitive dashboard.

Text-to-Apply Posters

Print out your unique QR code and text message number. Applicants scan/text to see all open positions and apply right away.

Automated & 2-Way SMS

Engage with applicants via text. Include links to screening questions, forms, and more. Use 2-way text to answer questions.

Endless Integrations

Connect Workstream to your calendar so applicants can schedule interviews. Streamline onboarding with background check & HR integrations.

Candidate Tracking & Scoring

View all your applicants and employees in one place. Make notes on their progress. Access their docs anytime from anywhere.

Customizable Templates

We provide templates for everything from job postings to offer letters. Send links to docs and tax forms via text message so new hires sign digital copies.

Hire Healthcare workers

Best Healthcare job descriptions