Duties and Responsibilities Of Security Guard In Hospital

Hospital buildings are complex environments where many things are going on at the same time, and there is a constant flow of people, including patients and their attendants. Most people are in hospitals going through a rough patch in their lives with respect to their health and In these cases, people often become hostile toward others after a slight inconvenience. This can lead to disturbance of the whole hospital environment. Handling these situations is among the duties and responsibilities of security guard in hospitals.

Some of the other duties include watching the access areas of the hospital, dealing with angry customers, preventing theft, and monitoring the parking lot. If the guards perform these duties well, the hospital can become a safe place for everyone, and patients can focus on recovering without worrying about their security. 

What Are the Duties And Responsibilities Of Security Guard in Hospital?

The duties and responsibilities of security guard in hospitals can vary according to the internal setting of each hospital. But some of the most common duties that hospital security guards, must do include:

Managing Hospital Access

Hospital access points are chaotic areas where a huge flow of people is occurring at all times of the day. This chaos can give intruders a golden opportunity to enter the premises and make their way through theft or any other illegal activity. Thus, the guards must keep a close eye on all the entry and exit points through security cameras or their physical presence so that no intruders pass in or go out. 

In addition to handling the people, hospital security guards must also keep a check on all the deliveries being made to the hospital. In many cases, hospital deliveries contain some weapons or other equipment which put the lives of the customers and the hostel staff in danger. Thus, they must verify not only the credentials of the delivery personnel but also the contents of the delivery package itself. If anything seems amiss, the guards should hold the delivering personnel until higher authorities are alerted and investigate the matter. 

Handling Emotional And Temperamental Visitors

As we have already said, patients coming to the hospital are in a bad shape and are very volatile to anything that gets in their way of getting adequate treatment. The attendants of the patients are also worrying about them and can create a nuisance in the hospital if their needs are not met. 

Handling such patients becomes the job of the security guards, and they must employ effective communication skills and conflict resolution abilities to mitigate the condition. The guards should listen to the problems of these angry customers in a separate and private place so that they can communicate effectively, without disrupting the duties of the doctors and paramedical staff and the treatment of other patients.

Preventing Theft

The public chaos going on in the hospitals puts the hospital property at risk of theft because thieves and intruders might easily sneak in and make their way with expensive hospital property. Dealing with these intruders is one of the jobs of hospital security guards, and they should be able to spot criminal activity among massive crowds of people. Their vigilance will allow them to prevent thefts and stop and catch the thieves in their tracks. 

Preventing Child Abduction

The massive crowd of people in the hospitals also presents another problem. In the hassle of their health matters, patients and their attendants can sometimes leave their children unguarded who often leave their parents and run off. Taking advantage of this haphazard situation, many child abductors and kidnappers lure the children and take them away. 

Once the parents realize the situation, the matter is already out of hand and they can not do anything. Preventing this abduction rests on the shoulders of the guards, and they should be vigilant enough to detect this activity and stop it. They should be able to detect any unusual-appearing people behaving oddly and should keep a close eye on them. Timely intervention on part of the guards can be the matter of life and death for the children and can save the parents from mental strain. 

Securing The Parking Lots

Hospital parking lots are huge spaces and see a continuous flow of public as well as hospital vehicles. Owing to the sheer size of these lots, keeping a check on all the cars can be difficult. The mental state of the people regarding their physical health is already disturbed, and they can forget to check up on their vehicles to ensure their security.

Thus, checking the security of the vehicles of people comes into the hands of the hospital security guards, and they can prevent any danger of theft befalling these vehicles. They should keep in mind all the parking lot security tips and should make sure that people are complying with the rules and regulations of the lot, are properly locking up their cars, and are properly following all security requirements. Through regular parking lot patrols, the guards can also keep a check on any illegal activity in the lots, and can detect thieves from stealing cars or any of their parts. 

Guidelines For Hospital Security Guards to Control Infection

In many cases, the patients suffering from endemic diseases, or the relatives in contact with them are seen roaming the hospital and spreading the infection to others. This is a gross violation of the endemic disease containment protocols on part of the patients and can put the lives of other patients in danger. Thus the guards must do their best to contain such patients and attendants and should keep them away from other people. 

It’s included in duties and responsibilities of security guard in hospitals that guards should follow a proper contact procedure to prevent themselves from getting infected by the disease in such cases. They must maintain a distance from the patients and should not try to get close. They must explain full details to the patients and should try to coerce them into quarantining themselves. Dealing with patients thus calls for effective communication skills on part of the guards, and they must possess these to get good results. This is another example where the importance of security guards becomes obvious. 

Requirements to Become a Hospital Security Guard 

The exact requirements to become a hospital security guard vary with each state, and each hospital. But some of the common ones followed by many institutions include:

1. Having a high school diploma or equivalent education.
2. Having the basic training for security guards, in addition to other optional types of training for security guards. 
3. Having a valid guard card. 
4. Following all important tips for security guards.  
5. Having a clean criminal and drug-use record.
6. Some institutions need the guard to have internal training to acquaint them with the job on the site. Thus the guards must also get this training to allow them to become eligible for the job.

FAQs

1. How should a hospital security guard deal with external emergency threats?

In case of external emergency threats, the guards must gain control of all the access points and should only allow authorized personnel to cross through. They must also be prepared to lockdown the hospital if need be. 

2. What are the basic education and training of hospital security guards?

The basic educational requirement is a high school diploma. As regards the training, the guard must have basic training. Any other training is optional and getting it can give the guard an advantage over other candidates while applying for the job.

3. Why is security important in hospitals?

Security is important in hospitals because it can prevent any danger befalling the patients or their attendents. It is also essential to protect the hospital staff and minimizes the risk of any thefts or abductions. 

4. Who is responsible for patient safety in a hospital?

Patient safety is a shared responsibility among their attendants, the hospital staff, and the hospital security guards. Both play a role in securing patients from any internal as well as external threats. 

5. What is it like working hospital security?

As regards the work environment for hospital security guards San Diego hospitals paint a very good picture. Working as a hospital security guard comes with a lot of responsibility. Hospital guards need to put the interests of the patients before anyone else and should strive to make their stay at the hospital safe and secure. 

6. Is hospital security dangerous?

Hospital environments can be dangerous places. The guards have to deal with external threats in the form of intruders and thieves, and also with internal threats to their health and well-being in the form of contracting contagious diseases. 

Conclusion

The duties and responsibilities of security guard in hospital are many, the most important of which is making sure that the patients are safe and secure. The guards should control hospital access, deal with volatile visitors, and should prevent any thefts or abductions. They must also be able to secure the parking lots and should do their best to contain the infection within the hospital. The guards should make sure that the patients are safe and secure so that they can get the best treatment possible.