Communications Center Call Representative II

VCU Health•Richmond, VA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Communications Center Call Representative II provides customer-centered service to VCU Health customers, potential customers, and team members, with a focus on patient and team member safety. The role handles emergency response dispatch, after-hours answering services for ambulatory clinics, paging for physicians and other on-call personnel, general information requests, and backup support for the Service Response Center. The representative follows applicable laws, regulations, Joint Commission standards, HIPAA requirements, and VCU Health policies and procedures. The position requires accurate, protocol-driven communication and documentation across emergency, clinical, and general-information calls. Representatives use VCU Health scheduling and on-call systems, Spok applications, and other communication tools to route calls, page personnel, update schedules and records, and support callers. They are expected to maintain specified call-quality and documentation standards, protect confidential information, and communicate time-sensitive operational updates. Communications Center staff are designated as essential. Representatives work rotating weekends and holidays, report as scheduled during inclement weather or disasters, and remain flexible for shift reassignment or overtime to maintain safe staffing. Work takes place in a general office environment and can involve high stress, fluctuating workloads, prolonged periods working alone, frequent customer interactions, and a noisy, fast-paced setting.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least two years of customer service experience, including interaction in person or through telephone, email, text message, fax, pager, or other communication devices.
At least two years of personal computer experience and typing speed of 45 or more words per minute.
Previous experience with software applications including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and email.
Ability to perform daily activities with minimal supervision and function independently in routine work.
Ability to answer and route incoming calls, document information, prioritize emergency communications, dispatch response teams, and complete post-call documentation.
Ability to communicate and coordinate by telephone and pager with physicians and other VCU Health personnel.
Ability to work rotating shifts, every other weekend, and rotating holiday hours; report as scheduled during inclement weather or disaster incidents; and accommodate schedule changes as needed for patient safety.
Ability to meet the physical and sensory demands described, including lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling up to 50 pounds; stooping, kneeling, squatting; sitting, walking, and standing; manual and finger dexterity; shift work; and hearing alarms and telephones.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities, frequent and intense customer interactions, and frequent change.

Nice To Haves

Some college coursework.
Training in IDX, Epic, or similar scheduling systems.
Experience with database software.
Experience with Cerner, Epic, or a similar electronic medical record system.
Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) training.
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training.
Previous experience, preferably in an active call center environment.
Previous work experience in a healthcare setting and knowledge of medical terminology.
Previous experience as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher or 911 dispatcher.
Previous experience as an Emergency Medical Technician.

Responsibilities

Dispatch VCU Health emergency response teams according to established protocols, obtain required information, contact outside resources when needed, make overhead announcements or confirmation calls, and complete required documentation.
Provide after-hours answering service support to VCU Health ambulatory clinics by determining callers’ needs, managing calls appropriately, handling appointment confirmations or cancellations, paging on-call physicians, providing clinic information, and documenting calls.
Connect callers experiencing life-threatening emergencies to their local 911 dispatch center.
Page physicians, advanced practitioners, technicians, leaders, and other personnel; determine appropriate recipients using the web-based on-call schedule; and adjust on-call schedules as requested.
Use Spok Smart Console to page team members, assign pager coverage, and activate or deactivate pagers; use the Spok Smart Center Oracle Database to manage emergency and mass-notification paging groups.
Provide general information and assistance, including forwarding calls, verifying appointments, giving directions and contact information, and communicating information about VCU Health services.
Update patient listings in Spok Smart Console when needed, including legal names for patients registered under computer-generated identifiers and status information for patients designated as no-information patients, while protecting HIPAA information.
Provide backup caller support to the Service Response Center by collecting and communicating information needed to create support-service tickets.
Maintain knowledge of VCU Health facilities, services, medical terminology, and informational resources; communicate time-sensitive changes to team members and department leadership.
Work collaboratively to identify and address problems, particularly those related to patient safety; assist team members, accept alternate assignments, and mentor and train new team members.
Perform other assigned duties and participate in special projects supporting VCU Health and the Communications Center.
Meet emergency dispatch accuracy, answering-service documentation, and call-rating standards stated in the posting.