One of the biggest challenges you may encounter when recruiting new workers is writing the job description. This advertisement needs to be written carefully to ensure that it reaches the echelon of talent you are interested in hiring. Before you start writing a job description to fill another vacant position in your organization, take some time to look over the Patient Care Unit Clerk job description sample listed below.
Patient Care Unit Clerk Job Summary
You’ll be responsible for providing support services to improve the delivery and quality of patient care. These services include clerical, administrative and technical functions to ensure the department runs efficiently. You’ll work closely with nurses, medical technicians, and physicians on a daily basis.
Patient Care Unit Clerk Responsibilities and Duties:
- Assembles, breaks down and manages patient charts and records.
- Transcribes all doctors and nurses orders. Enters them into system and dates, stamps and signs them when completed.
- Seeks clarification of all illegible and illegal orders. Processes all “stat” and “now” orders before any others.
- Responds to patient intercom requests for assistance.
- Welcomes and greets all visitors to unit, while maintaining a log detailing visitor access.
- Answers telephone and transfers calls to patients, nurses and doctors.
- Documents all patient notes as directed by ordering physician and nurse.
- Follows all discharge protocol for patients and their charts.
- Arranges for patient and chart transport.
- Prioritizes workload and responsibilities.
- Places all lab and test results in the proper patient medical records.
- Identifies abnormal or unusual results and notifies nurses and appropriate staff.
- Regularly tests all equipment to ensure proper operation and informs staff when equipment malfunctions and puts in request for repairs.
- Orders and maintains necessary equipment for procedures.
- Coordinates with nurses to ensure proper bed placement of patients.
- Manages transfer of patients. Completes and coordinates all appropriate paperwork to ensure it follows patients to next bed assignment or to medical records department.
- Checks inventory and orders products as needed to maintain unit supplies and inventory.
- Maintains knowledge of codes and emergency procedures. Keeps crash cart properly stocked and notifies all staff of patient and unit related emergencies.
- Maintains patient confidence while protecting private information in compliance with HIPAA.
- Adheres to all departmental and organization rules and local, state and federal laws and regulations.
- Regularly participates in trainings and education activities to improve knowledge and skills.
Patient Care Unit Clerk Skills and Qualifications
- High School Diploma or GED
- 1 year of experience in a medical office setting
- Knowledge of Medical Terminology
- Great organizational and communication skills
Company Profile
PamGo Health was founded in 1998 and is a leading acute care facility in Chicago, Illinois. With over 12 healthcare centers in several states, we believe in offering the best quality care and services to improve the lives of everyone in local communities. We believe in improving patient care by treating the whole condition, not just a single aspect of illness. With the aid of the technology, innovation and ground-breaking research, our employees are able to reach and improve lives.
Writing a Job Description Best Practices
- The above Patient Care Unit Clerk job description sample is an excellent representation of how your job description should look. While you may refer to the above job description occasionally while writing future ones, there may be times when you don’t have access to it. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when you are not able to use our Patient Care Unit Clerk job description sample.
- Do use SEO to your advantage. Choose keywords that are popular among job seekers. Make sure the title properly fits the job position.
- Do limit your job description to a minimum of 700 words. Anything longer is distracting to job seekers and may cause them to look elsewhere.
- Do use language that compels job seekers to follow through and apply. Direct them to do so at the end of your job description.
- Don’t use words or phrases that are misleading. You want to attract the right individual not the wrong one to your company.
- Don’t forget to show off your company’s culture and personality. Job seekers need this information so they can decide if your company is right for them.
Learning to write a stand-out job description may take some time, but it is a skill worth having. Refer back to the above Patient Care Unit Clerk job description sample frequently to make sure your job descriptions are on par or better. The better your job descriptions are, the easier it will be for you to meet your hiring goals.
Patient Care Unit Clerk Job Responsibilities
It is crucial that applicants interested in entering the medical industry have a clear idea of the job responsibilities they’ll be carrying out on a daily basis. Listing the tasks and duties essential to a position can help attract the best candidates; the more specific you are, the less likely that you’ll have to sift through emails from inexperienced jobseekers. Therefore, the job responsibilities section of a patient care unit clerk job description should be the lengthiest and most informative part.
To make it easy to read, use bullet points to outline job responsibilities. Start each point with a strong action verb. While it may be tempting to use adjectives like “efficiently” or “successfully,” starting with these words is ultimately distracting for your readers. Be as detailed as possible, choosing between six and eight patient care unit clerk job responsibilities that are crucial for a candidate to be able to perform while on the clock.
These examples may serve as a useful guideline when you’re crafting your patient care unit clerk job description:
- Answer patient calls to handle scheduling, payment and medical inquiries, transferring callers to other departments as necessary
- Perform proper check-in and check-out procedures for patients when they visit the unit for treatment or examinations
- Comply with hospital policies and procedures while providing compassionate customer service
- Communicate with doctors, nurses and hospital staff to take note of records to ensure appropriate scheduling for the needs of patients
Patient Care Unit Clerk Job Specifications
The job qualifications and skills section of a patient care unit clerk job description should contain educational, technical or interpersonal requirements for the position. Ideally, you want applicants to meet most of the requirements, or even surpass them. In order to decide who is the most qualified candidate, you need to carefully plan what to include.
Since an employee will be interacting with many people at your organization, consult with other managers or upper level co-workers to decide which qualifications are most important. While education is important, for example, other skills such as multitasking and collaborating may be more essential for certain jobs. A discussion about what type of employee you intend to attract can go a long way toward preventing turnover or layoffs down the road. As potential jobseekers search available positions, they will use the patient care unit clerk job specifications to determine if they meet the needs of your organization.
The following examples are commonly found in a patient care unit clerk job description:
- High school diploma or equivalent required; bachelor‘s degree preferred with knowledge of medical terminology and coding
- Strong written and verbal communication, with the ability to professionally speak with a large volume of patients on a daily basis
- Ability to work both in a team setting and independently
- Excellent time management skills, with the ability to quickly switch between tasks