Unit Secretary

Brown Medicine•Cranston, RI

7d•$21 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

The Unit Secretary coordinates the flow of patient activity and information on the unit or clinic according to hospital-approved policies and procedures. As a member of the Health Care Team, the Unit Secretary works under the direction of the Clinical Manager or designee and performs a variety of clerical duties that support quality patient care. The role requires effective interpersonal and clerical skills and adherence to Brown University Health’s values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence, as well as its core Success Factors: Instill Trust and Value Differences; Patient and Community Focus; and Collaborate. The position handles patient records, communications, orders, scheduling, supplies, and related unit workflows. It uses hospital computer systems and follows established standards for safety, confidentiality, infection control, and downtime procedures. The role is based at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. The stated schedule is 0700–1530, with 8-hour shifts every other weekend and every other holiday.

Requirements

High school graduate or General Equivalency Diploma.
Effective interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to multitask and perform a variety of complex clerical duties.
Basic computer skills.
Ability to read, write legibly, and speak English.
Knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to patients throughout the life span, with consideration of aging processes, human development stages, and cultural patterns at each step of the care process.

Nice To Haves

Basic knowledge of medical terminology preferred.
Experience preferred; no specific experience requirement is stated.

Responsibilities

Use medical terms and abbreviations appropriately.
Work with the team to identify cost-saving measures, solve workflow problems, and develop new work methods for unit or clinic operations and patient care delivery.
Organize and prioritize workload according to patient and unit or clinic needs.
Assemble charts for admissions, disassemble charts for discharges, file reports accurately, and maintain medical records according to hospital guidelines.
Answer phones and intercoms using proper etiquette and notify appropriate staff.
Use hospital computer systems to enter and verify orders, retrieve data, and generate reports; report computer or equipment malfunctions to the help desk.
Use Patient Links, Nurse Links, Bed Board, MAK MAR, Carevue, and other systems needed for the role.
Enter physician verbal orders within the limits of the role, including dietary, laboratory, diagnostic x-ray, admission status, transfer, change-of-doctor, and hospital-service orders.
Enter nursing verbal orders when based on a protocol or covered by a previously entered physician order.
Transcribe handwritten physician orders; fax medication orders to the pharmacy and enter other orders into appropriate departments; transcribe handwritten chemotherapy orders according to hospital protocol.
Arrange delivery of necessary equipment.
Follow up on ordered diagnostic tests and document scheduled tests, preparations, and holds in the computer; hold trays or make patients NPO as appropriate.
Order stationery and office supplies and maintain and stock the A-Z file.
Fax authorization forms and other forms to health care providers as needed; receive faxed information and file it in the patient record.
Attend education sessions, access the Patient Services website, and maintain competencies through required annual checks and mandatory safety education.
Report unsafe situations to the Professional Nurse or Clinical Manager and promote unit safety.
Follow hospital and unit standards, policies, and procedures, including those concerning attendance, badging, mandatory education, fire and safety, infection control, credentialing, HIPAA, and confidentiality.
Page physicians and others using the hospital page system, computer alpha paging, and the emergency operator for code pages.
Arrange follow-up appointments and document them on the patient’s Continuity of Care form.
Coordinate copies of Continuity of Care forms, fax them to Home Care Services when indicated, file copies in the medical record, and print copies from Life Links when necessary.
Obtain copies of medical records as indicated.
Accurately perform Unit Secretary functions, including patient type and discharge disposition codes, observation and inpatient status, patient service charges, consult calls when indicated, and updates to dietary rounds reports.
Understand and perform appropriate information-systems downtime procedures.
Perform other duties as assigned.