Unit Secretary

Brown Medicine•Cranston, RI

8d•$21 - $22•Onsite

About The Position

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 under the direction of the Clinical Manager or designee, 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 Unit Secretary performs patient record, order-entry, communication, scheduling, supply, and other unit-support tasks. The position requires attention to accuracy, patient and unit needs, safety, confidentiality, and applicable hospital procedures. The role also includes maintaining required competencies and completing mandatory education.

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 across the lifespan, considering aging processes, human-development stages, and cultural patterns in each step of the care process.

Nice To Haves

Basic knowledge of medical terminology.
Experience is preferred; no specific amount or type is stated.

Responsibilities

Use medical terms and abbreviations appropriately.
Work with the team to identify cost-saving measures, resolve work-process problems, and develop new work methods for unit operations and patient care delivery.
Organize and prioritize workload according to patient and unit or clinic needs.
Assemble admission charts and disassemble discharge charts according to hospital guidelines; accurately file reports and maintain medical records.
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 Unit Secretary role’s limits, 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 physicians’ handwritten orders; fax medication orders to pharmacy and enter other orders into the appropriate departments; transcribe handwritten chemotherapy orders according to hospital protocol.
Arrange delivery of necessary equipment.
Follow up on ordered diagnostic tests and document booking information, including scheduled date and time; note required preparations and arrange holds or NPO status as appropriate.
Order stationery and office supplies and maintain and stock the A-Z file.
Fax completed Authorization for Use of Protected Health Information forms to other healthcare providers; receive and file faxed information in patient records and fax other forms as needed.
Attend educational sessions and access the Patient Services website; meet and maintain competencies through annual checks and mandatory or safety education.
Report unsafe situations to the Professional Nurse or Clinical Manager and promote unit safety.
Follow established RIH and unit standards, policies, and procedures, including those concerning attendance, tardiness, badging, mandatory education, fire and general safety, infection control, credentialing, HIPAA, and confidentiality.
Page physicians and others using the hospital page system, computer alpha paging, and the hospital emergency operator for codes.
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 medical record copies as indicated.
Accurately perform all aspects of the Unit Secretary role, including patient-type and discharge-disposition codes, observation and inpatient status, patient-services charges, consult calls when indicated, and updates to dietary rounds reports.
Understand and perform applicable information-systems downtime procedures.
Perform other duties as assigned.