Unit Clerk - 2 Acute North Full Time

About the role

Penn Medicine is dedicated to our tripartite mission of providing the highest level of care to patients, conducting innovative research, and educating future leaders in the field of medicine. Working for this leading academic medical center means collaboration with top clinical, technical and business professionals across all disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Provides clerical services to each Nursing Department to maintain efficient operation.
• Acts as a resource to the Nursing Department as well as other departments throughout the organization to maintain and trouble-shoot office equipment.
• Serves as liaison between internal and external customers, including management, clinical and administrative staff, education, patient access, registration, physicians, patients, families, volunteers and visitors.

Technical and Clerical Duties

• Demonstrates technical skills in computer data entry, maintaining patient charts, transcribing orders, filing and appropriate documentation, including assembly of charts, labeling, color coding, chart order, filing and written documentation.
• Utilizes Bed Board system appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Maintains technical competence related to keyboard proficiency and general operations, maintenance and troubleshooting of equipment (e.g., printers, fax, copy machines, telephones, Pneumatic Tube System).
• Arranges for patient discharges, ambulance transport, schedules MRI’s, transfers to nursing homes and transfers within the hospital.
• Demonstrates self-direction in completion of all assigned responsibilities, such as ordering of supplies, scheduling of transfers or appointments, copying of information from charts for transfers, faxing information to physician’s offices or other health care facilities.
• Maintains all necessary forms on chart as well as universal drawer order.
• Responds appropriately in critical situations.
• Enters Maintenance and SPD requests in the computer in a timely manner.
• Appropriately disassembles charts on patient discharges and thins charts according to policy for patients with extended stays.
• Places Critical Value stickers on appropriate printed result form and gives to the RN.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Utilizes good communication skills with physicians, nurses, patients, family members, volunteers, and all other healthcare team members in order to achieve excellence in patient care.
• Interacts with customers (patients, visitors, Hospital Associates, Physicians and other work contacts) with courtesy, tact and diplomacy.
• Uses interpersonal communication techniques to receive and give constructive feedback for the purpose of promoting excellence.
• Follows staffing guidelines and, in the interest of patient care, responds to changes or needs within the Hospital by cooperating with staff rotation, reassignment, and weekend/holiday scheduling.
• Performs duties utilizing varied modes of communication such as telephone, personal contact, email and fax machines.

Patient Safety and Quality Initiatives

• Promotes patient safety through adherence to protocols, policies, procedures, evidence-based guidelines and Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals.
• Receives patient chart on admission and assembles established chart: labels each page, labels chart holder, transcribes physician orders, checks that tests have been completed or entered correctly, and verifies required documents (e.g., History and Physical, Surgical Procedure Permit, Authorization for Blood Transfusion, Hospital and Medical Treatment Authorization).
• Disinfects phones, computer keyboards and medication carts every shift.
• Communicates consults and shares pertinent information with co-workers and supervisors following the organization’s policy and procedures of confidentiality.
• Adopts and practices safe work habits, life safety policies and procedures, and acts within security guidelines at all times.
• Actively participates in and supports departmental and organizational quality initiatives and goals, seeking to continually improve cost effectiveness and safety via quality management of time, systems, equipment and materials.
• Evaluates practice of self and others through participation in quality assessment and performance improvement activities; follows through on actions for problem resolution, performance improvement and practice improvement in accordance with professional, ethical, department and quality standards.
• Identifies professional goals that reflect own strengths and weaknesses and seeks assistance for improvement of performance.
• Attends and participates in meetings according to department standards.
• Supports and participates in department, hospital and evidence-based care quality initiatives including core measures.

Competency and Professional Development

• Maintains competency according to unit-specific standards, demonstrating competency in maintaining specific technological skills required by job category and/or specialty area, including recognition of equipment or technological adaptations dependent on age-specific patient needs.
• Maintains technological competence through practice and ongoing participation in in-services and formalized professional conferences.
• Performs duties in accordance with Penn Medicine and entity values, policies, and procedures.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.