Unit Secretary

SUMMARY

Under the general supervision of the Nurse Manager, performs a variety of clerical and administrative support duties. Coordinates and documents the flow of patient activity and information from admission to the unit through discharge or transfer.

Brown University Health employees are expected to successfully role model the organization's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence, as these values guide our everyday actions with patients, customers, and one another.

In addition to our values, all employees are expected to demonstrate the core Success Factors that define how we work together and accomplish our goals. The core Success Factors include:

• Instill Trust and Value Differences
• Patient and Community Focus and Collaborate

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Communicates clearly, concisely, and promptly with unit staff, other hospital personnel, physicians, patients, and visitors.
• Greets patients and visitors in a professional, courteous, and helpful manner.
• Recognizes consumer dissatisfaction and intervenes to resolve concerns or refers issues to the appropriate person.
• Identifies and reports unauthorized personnel.
• Answers the telephone in a timely and courteous manner.
• Receives, records, and communicates messages accurately.
• Transfers telephone calls and pages staff accurately.
• Answers patients’ call buttons, pages the appropriate staff member to respond, and follows up on unanswered pages.
• Enters and updates all patient information in the computer system, including height and weight, isolation status, patient type, patient activity, and charge entries.
• Practices in accordance with all Physician Order Management policies and procedures.
• Follows all clinical informatics downtime procedures for entering data into the patient's electronic profile.
• Obtains missing patient data from other units or outside facilities as needed.
• Maintains the integrity of the medical record.
• Completes the Medical Record Review Checklist daily and upon discharge.
• Orders and maintains appropriate forms, dietary supplies, educational materials, and office supplies for the unit.
• Maintains order and cleanliness at the desk area.
• Follows up on the status of purchase requisitions.
• Anticipates storeroom supply needs before evening and night shifts.
• Ensures dietary orders are current each morning between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.
• Manages automatically prepared reports, including but not limited to GENESIS, Glumeter, and rounds reports.
• Works with nursing staff and case managers to enter discharge dispositions and destinations into the computer system, fax required paperwork to external agencies, and prepare necessary documentation for patients discharged to rehabilitation centers or nursing homes.
• Assists the Nurse Manager in monitoring staff educational records and compliance with mandatory testing, training, certifications, and annual health screenings, including PPD and fit testing.
• Completes weekly staff projections for the nursing unit.
• Completes the unit secretary schedule, ensuring an even distribution of secretarial resources, as assigned.
• Participates in unit staff meetings and records meeting minutes.
• Assists in maintaining posted communications on the unit and prepares memorandums for staff as needed.
• Updates policy manuals as required.
• Provides support to the unit in achieving hospital and unit quality indicators.
• Assists with the distribution and collection of quality audits and complies with unit processes for indicator data collection.
• Conducts monthly Environment of Care Rounds, reports findings, and follows through with work orders, phone calls, and faxes to the appropriate departments for issue resolution.
• Resolves issues that can be addressed at the unit level.
• Accurately enters patient charges to generate appropriate revenue for the unit.
• Reviews and reconciles charges daily and reports variances to the manager.
• Performs general filing, copying, faxing, and other clerical and administrative support duties as requested.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

BASIC KNOWLEDGE

• Equivalent to a high school diploma.
• Proficient computer skills required to enter and maintain patient data and generate required reports.
• Knowledge of medical terminology preferred.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and perform multiple tasks efficiently.
• Ability to speak, read, and write English clearly.

EXPERIENCE

• Six months of clerical experience in a healthcare environment strongly preferred.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Sits, stands, and walks intermittently throughout the day.
• Exposed to a patient care environment.
• May be required to lift up to 20 pounds.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

• None.