Unit Secretary

SUMMARY

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

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 which tell us how we work together and how we get things done. The core Success Factors include:

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

RESPONSIBILITIES

Communication & Customer Service

• Communicates clearly, concisely, and expeditiously with unit staff, other hospital staff, physicians, patients, and visitors.
• Greets patients and visitors in a professional, courteous, and helpful manner.
• Recognizes consumer dissatisfaction and intervenes to correct or refers 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 and pages appropriate staff members to respond.
• Performs follow-up pages on unanswered pages.

Patient Information & Medical Records

• Enters and edits all patient information into the computer, including:
  • Height and weight
  • Isolation status
  • Patient type
  • Patient activity
  • 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 Medical Record Review Checklist daily and upon checklist.

Unit Operations & Supply Management

• 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 every AM between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.
• Provides management of automatically prepared reports, including but not limited to:
  • GENESIS
  • Glumeter
  • Rounds reports

Discharge & Patient Transition Support

• Works with nursing staff and case managers to:
  • Enter discharge disposition and destinations into the computer
  • Fax necessary paperwork to external agencies
  • Prepare all necessary paperwork for patients discharged to rehabilitation centers or nursing homes

Staff & Administrative Support

• Assists the Nurse Manager in monitoring maintenance of staff educational records and compliance with:
  • Mandatory tests
  • Training
  • Certifications
  • Annual health screenings, such as PPD and fit testing
• Completes weekly staff projections for the nursing unit.
• Completes unit secretary schedules, ensuring even distribution of secretarial resources, as assigned.
• Participates in unit staff meetings and records minutes.
• Assists in the maintenance of posted communications on the unit and with memorandums to staff.
• Updates policy manuals as required.

Quality & Regulatory Support

• Provides support for the unit in achieving hospital and unit quality indicators.
• Assists with distribution and collection of quality audits.
• Complies with unit processes for indicator data collection.
• Conducts Environment of Care Rounds monthly.
• Reports findings and follows through with:
  • Work orders
  • Phone calls
  • Faxes to appropriate departments for resolution of issues
• Resolves issues that can be addressed at the unit level.

Financial & Clerical Duties

• Appropriately 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.
• Computer skill level proficient to enter and maintain patient data and print required reports.
• Knowledge of medical terminology preferred.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and perform multiple tasks expeditiously.
• Speaks, reads, and writes English clearly.

Experience

• Six months’ 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.