Patient transport is a people-facing hospital role. A transporter needs to understand safe movement, communicate clearly, and respond professionally when plans change. Training options are easier to compare when you start with the learner's situation: are they building a foundation for a new role, or proving applied skill within a hospital team?
What is the HPT certificate?
The Healthcare Patient Transporter (HPT) program is an online foundational certificate for new or aspiring transporters. It introduces the knowledge and technical skills needed to begin in patient transportation. Because it is online, a learner can start before joining a hospital transport department or use it as part of a structured onboarding plan.
See the Healthcare Patient Transporter course at Impact Training Online for current course details. Course format and enrollment information should be confirmed on the provider's site.
What is the CHT credential?
The Certified Healthcare Transporter (CHT) is an instructor-led professional credential delivered inside a hospital. It builds on technical skills with workplace ethics, judgment, and strategic skill building. A certified instructor teaches the curriculum, and the transporter demonstrates competency in the actual work setting before Impact Training Company issues the credential.
The official CHT program page at Impact Training Company explains the credential and the implementation path for hospitals. This is the better fit when a department wants a shared standard across its team.
Choosing a starting point for yourself? See HPT vs. CHT: Which Path Fits a Transporter?.
How to choose
- New or aspiring transporter: begin with HPT to build an online knowledge base.
- Working transporter: ask your hospital whether it offers CHT through a certified instructor.
- Transport leader: consider HPT for introductory learning and CHT for consistent, observed team competency.
These are complementary stages, not interchangeable labels. HPT is a certificate earned online; CHT is an in-hospital credential with workplace validation. Our step-by-step certification guide outlines what to expect from the CHT pathway.
For hospitals across the United States
Local transport workflows differ by facility, equipment, patient population, and policy. A national training framework can give teams a common starting point, while the hospital's own instructor connects the learning to local procedures. Before adopting any program, confirm how it fits your facility's policies and how competency will be assessed on site.
