Definition: Hospital Service Agent Job Description

What are the missions of the Hospital Service Agent? What training to follow to exercise this profession? What are his outlets and his salary? The answers are provided to you by this job description of Hospital service agent.

Hospital service agent profession

Responsible for the maintenance and hygiene of hospital premises and medico-social structures, the hospital agent ensures the comfort of patients. Discover the profession in detail: mission, training, recruitment, retraining.

What is a Hospital Service Agent?

Hospitals have a wide variety of professions that are as diverse as they are varied. Among these, we find the profession of ASH or Hospital Services Agent also called Hospital Cleanliness Agent or ASHQ (qualified hospital services agents).

Many in hospitals and clinics, they are responsible for cleaning and disinfecting patient rooms, common areas, sometimes operating theaters, but also vehicles that transport patients such as ambulances.

It goes without saying that their role is essential to the well-being and comfort of the user or the patient but also to the respect of hygiene thus avoiding any infection and transmission of disease.

The ASH also has a social mission by providing meals and snacks to patients. In nursing homes in particular, it allows residents to avoid isolation, reassures them, entertains them, etc. and can be brought to help the caregiver during the toilet for example.

He also helps stretcher patients within the hospital establishment.

ASH missions

On a daily basis, the hospital service agent therefore performs many missions which can be grouped around three functions:

Hygiene and prevention of biocontamination

• Cleaning of the common areas of one or more hospital departments;
• Cleaning, disinfection and storage of the patient room and the sanitary facility;
• Cleaning of operating theaters and vehicles transporting patients;
• Sterilization of medico-surgical equipment;
• Monitoring of product stock status, identification of supply needs;
• Application of protocols for combating nosocomial infections and bio-cleaning techniques;

Hotel activity

• Reception of meal trays, distribution and service, to patients or residents;
• Transport of patients, by stretcher;

Social activity

• Help people in the actions of daily life;
• Communicate observations collected during the performance of its activities;
• Help nursing assistants;

Where does the Hospital Agent work?

As a hospital service worker, it is as much possible to be employed in public and private sector establishments:

• Hospital
• Care center
• Health services
• Dispensary
• EHPAD
• Retirement home
• Private clinic
• Cure center

Trends in the profession

More than 24,000 hospital service agent jobs are available each year, 25% of which are for seasonal needs. (sources: Labor Needs Surveys 2019, Pole Emploi-CREDOC).

Two thirds of the hospital service worker jobs created are long contracts.

Particularly in demand, there is a shortage of hospital service agents in certain regions. This profession is also in the top 10 of trades for which employers have difficulty recruiting, according to the Pôle Emploi classification, thus offering great recruitment opportunities.

Qualifications required to become a hospital worker

Good physical condition

ASH’s job requires good physical condition. In fact, it is necessary on the one hand to be able to move the patients who can sometimes be corpulent but also to demonstrate great availability. It is a job that leaves little down time and requires work often shifted: night, weekend, public holidays…

Moral force

Mental strength is essential to endure physical fatigue, but also moral. It is also important to have a good resistance to stress and pressure to be able to exercise this type of profession.

Rigor

The health and comfort of patients depends in part on the methodical and rigorous work of the Hospital Agent: tidying up the rooms, remaking the beds, maintaining a regular schedule for meals, giving the right medications, etc.

Be reassuring

Nobody appreciates being hospitalized and it can cause great stressful moments for patients. The Hospital Agent must know how to respond and provide a reassuring shoulder to ensure that the stay goes as smoothly as possible. Becoming ASH requires a keen sense of listening in addition to great availability and great empathy.

Formations ASH

In France, no diploma is required to become a hospital service agent. However, having training allows you to progress faster in other positions, such as that of a caregiver. In addition, the profession of hospital service agent is becoming more professional and requires more and more often to have a CAP level diploma to access it.

Initial training

CAP level or equivalent

• CAP cleaning and hygiene agent which is prepared in 2 years after the 3rd class;
• CAP Technical Assistant in family and collective environments (ATMFC) which is prepared in 2 years after the 3rd class;
• BEP Health and social careers which is prepared in 2 years after the 3rd, or after a CAP;
• BEP Hygiene Professions which is prepared in 2 years after the 3rd, or after a CAP;
• BEP Bio-services which is prepared in 2 years after the 3rd, or after a CAP;

Baccalaureate standard

• Professional hygiene clean sterilization tray in 3 years after the 3rd or in 2 years after the CAP;
• Professional baccalaureate support, care and personal services (ASSP) in 3 years after the 3rd or in 2 years after the CAP;

Licence level

• BTS in environmental services accessible to any holder of a baccalaureate: graduate S, graduate STL, graduate STI2D, professional graduate hygiene cleanliness sterilization or professional graduate pollution management and environmental protection;

Continuing education

People who entered the profession without a diploma can have their skills recognized by the validation of prior experience (VAE) and obtain the CAP cleaning and hygiene agent, for example.

As part of a retraining, it is possible to take the professional title (TP) cleaning and hygiene agent or the professional certification FFP (Federation of Professional Training) hospital service agent as part of continuing education.

Possible evolutions of ASH

By following additional training, the hospital worker can evolve in different sectors of health and personal services: home help, social worker, childcare assistant, etc.

The profession can lead to that of a caregiver after the preparation of the certificate of aptitude for the functions of caregiver or the VAE.

As he gains experience, he can become a team leader to distribute the various agents over sectors, organize schedules, etc.

Salary of an ASH

The salary of an ASH is equivalent to the minimum wage in general but changes according to the level of experience, qualification, region.

After several years of practice, the salary of an ASH can climb up to $ 1,900 gross monthly for a team leader.

Fancy a retraining as a hospital service agent?

Advantages of retraining as a hospital worker

• This profession even recruits without a diploma.
• In this profession, professionals must demonstrate autonomy.
• The diversity of the missions leaves no room for monotony.
• Contact with patients makes this job fascinating. Some are very grateful for the comfort that ASH brings them and appreciate their visit.
• In the public service, the hospital worker has a certain job security.

Disadvantages of such a retraining

• The hours are staggered or in cuts.
• Some tasks like cleaning, disinfecting and storing can be painful.
• The job is quite tiring physically and mentally.

Basic skills essential to get started

Know

• Data sheet reading
• Use of a single-disc machine
• Rules of hygiene and asepsis
• Bio-cleaning techniques
• Protocols for combating nosocomial infections
• Use of cleaning equipment

Know how

• Clean, disinfect and tidy the room and the sanitary installation
• Check the contents of the cleaning cart and prepare the cleaning solutions
• Maintain premises
• Monitor stock status
• Define supply needs
• Place an order
• Enter data in a register

(Source: ROME)

Where to start your ASH conversion?

Changing your profession for the benefit of that of a hospital service agent cannot be compared to an opportunity that you can seize at the “right time”. It is a project, like any other, that you must anticipate by taking the necessary time. As Arthur Ashe once said, “One of the keys to success is self-confidence. One of the keys to self-confidence is preparation”…

Even if the profession of hospital agent can be exercised without any diploma, wanting to train, as a prelude to your professional retraining as a hospital service agent, can be a healthy decision, especially if you do not have any of the initial training listed above. or the skills indicated above.

Training can indeed be, to a certain extent, the key to professional retraining as an ASH, but not necessarily because one thing is certain: retraining does not always rhyme with training.

It is best to take the time to prepare for your professional retraining by taking stock of your situation and your current skills. For this, calling on an expert in professional development could be an excellent prerequisite. This will expose your strengths and weaknesses in knowledge and skills, and therefore your actual (personalized) training needs, including the training organization that will meet those needs as precisely as possible.

How to finance your retraining?

There are different mechanisms to finance all or part of your retraining.

Employees on permanent, fixed-term or temporary contracts

• Personal training account (CPF)
• Professional transition CPF
• Skills development plan
• Promotion by work-study program Pro-A

Jobseeker

• Personal training account (CPF)
• Individual Training Aid (AIF)
• Professional contract

Temp worker

• Personal training account (CPF)
• Professional transition CPF
• Professional contract
• FAFTT (Temporary Work Training Insurance Fund)

Independent

• Personal training account (CPF)
• FAF (training insurance fund)
• Tax credit for the training of business leaders

Official

• Personal training account (CPF)
• Vocational training leave (CFP)