Department Secretary

Job Requirements

Minimum Education

• High School Graduate or equivalent

Minimum Work Experience

• Experience in secretarial skills and medical terminology
• Experience in Human Service Agency or Hospital desired

Required Skills

• Ability to work under pressure and strong organizational skills.
• Interpersonal skills and flexibility essential.
• Knowledge of computer software required (MSO Office Products).
• Ability to communicate clearly, both orally and written, clerical perception to proof read materials, ability to perform typing, filing, record keeping, complete departmental statistics, and communicate with people of various educational, language and cultural backgrounds.

Functional Demands

Physical Requirements

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Frequently reaches (extending hands and arms in any direction), and handles (seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or working with hands).

Organizational Expectations

Behavioral Attributes

The following behavioral attributes are required: achievement motivation, concern for order, flexibility, initiative, self-confidence, customer service oriented, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork, analytical thinking and information seeking.

Essential Functions

• Conducts interactions with everyone in a friendly, courteous and respectful manner.
• Goes out of his/her way to offer assistance to others. If he/she cannot offer assistance, then finds someone who can.
• Advocates to ensure privacy and confidentiality while helping others to maintain awareness.
• Maintains a clean and safe hospital.
• Responds appropriately and immediately in emergency situations.
• Maintains a safe and healthy environment for patients, visitors, and/or staff to provide the highest level of physical comfort, and minimize risk and injury.
• Ensures compliance with regulations to maintain accreditation and licensure.
• Complies with the Hospital Attendance and Tardiness Policy.
• Completed all Hospital and Department Specific Mandatory requirements in the prior calendar year.
• Reports Incidents in a timely and effective manner.
• All employees with direct patient contact are responsible for actively engaging in the practice of, monitoring and enforcing compliance to hand hygiene.
• Assists director with payroll ensuring service is timely.
• Schedules social workers’ for coverage upon request, ensuring service is timely.
• Updates information located in the Heywood Hospital Share Drive, Community Resource Directory and Professional Agreement Book as new information is received.
• Maintains the overall department operation so that supplies are available, as well as handles mail, paychecks, faxes, and requests are completed and communicated timely.
• Records case assignments in statistical record for data collection in the Case Open
• Log on a monthly basis.
• Sends out the patient satisfaction questionnaire at the end of each month.
• Provides administrative support to the Director to ensure the department functions effectively.
• Provides routine clerical support including taking minutes at meetings, typing letters, maintaining Social Service Records and files for the Department Director and staff as needed
• Coordinates the scheduling of meetings, food or A/V equipment; media exposure as needed; mails meeting notices out to members of committees, provides feedback to Director and Staff.
• Collates and tallies department statistics for monthly and year to date reports for the department timely and efficiently.
• Works with Hospital personnel to resolve routine patient care related problems and issues timely and effectively
• Serves as resources for Information and Referral Services for the hospital at large and community.
• Responsible to the Health Care Proxy Program within the department. Assures all forms are reviewed for completeness and scans document in the EMR
• Documents HCP and/or Guardianship status in the EMRBulletin Board noting agency, address if noted, telephone number, date form completed and if activated or revised copy scanned and updated in the EMR
• If HC Proxy is invalid, Assistance follows up with patient/family re: additional needs and proxy is not processed until revision is received and appropriate action taken to document status in the EMR
• Assists the Director in Performance Improvement Activities.Including but not limited to Patient/Family Satisfaction Surveys..Health Care Proxies etc
• Assists the Director in Performance Improvement Activities.Including but not limited to Patient/Family Satisfaction Surveys..Health Care Proxies etc
• Completes work timely, efficiently, as noted by standards from Fiscal and other regulation agencies.
• Assists Director in the development of department education brochures, inservice training, etc.
• Contributes to the design and development, or redesign of systems that help the department run efficiently.
• Responsible for overseeing Volunteers within the department to assure tasks are being completed timely and efficiently.
• Works collaboratively with designated Legal Services with issues related to Advanced Directives, HC Proxy, Guardianship etc
• Complies reports specific to activity and cost related to Guardianships, Sect 7,8 & 8b’s, advanced directives, transportation voucher program etc
• Contributes to the design and development, or redesign of systems that help the department run efficiently.
• Maintains a safe environment for patients by assuring that sharp objects, toxic substances and other objects potentially harmful to children are not accessible.
• Is aware of the increased risk of falls, slips, and trips for elderly patients and visitors, and assures that the environment of care or services is free of objects and spills which may contribute to the likelihood of patient falls, slips, or trips.
• Is sensitive to the tendency of older patients to have hearing difficulties. Verifies that he or she is speaking with appropriate level of loudness so that the patient hears instructions, questions, and conversations with caregiver, but that offense is not given to the patient as the result of the voice being excessively loud. Is able to differentiate problems with hearing versus problems with comprehension.
• Takes appropriate actions to assure physical security of children and complies with policies and procedures related to the prevention of neonate, infant and child abduction.
• Is aware of reduced endurance and strength present in many elderly, and provides accommodation for seating during extended interviews, discussions with secretaries, receptionists and other clerical personnel, or when the patient is waiting for transportation.

Statement of Other Duties

This document describes the major duties and responsibilities for this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. It should be understood, therefore, that employees may be asked to perform job-related duties beyond those explicitly described.