Unit Secretary -Burn Unit

MedStar Health; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 28,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

MedStar Health in Washington, DC, is seeking a Unit Secretary to perform clerical support on a nursing unit, ensuring smooth operations and timely information flow. You will greet patients and staff, handle calls and alarms, transcribe orders, and maintain charting and supplies.

The role requires basic typing, medical terminology familiarity, and the ability to coordinate with multiple departments. Strong organizational skills and teamwork are essential in a busy hospital setting.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Possibly up to 1 year of technical or specialized unit secretary training.

Responsibilities

• Greet patients, visitors, and physicians and provide assistance.
• Answer and relay calls and alarms; assist with patient calls and downtime procedures.
• Transcribe orders and prepare MAR; support downtime processes.
• Enter/update unit charges and fax orders to appropriate areas.
• Maintain unit supplies and help orient new staff.

Skills

Typing / keyboarding

Medical terminology

Communication

Multi-tasking

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Unit secretary training program

Tools

MedConnect

Nurse Call system

Teletracking

PeopleSoft

Office Depot

Job description

About the Job

General Summary of Position

Performs a variety of clerical support activities for a nursing unit. Ensures the timely efficient and organized flow of operations for the assigned nursing station/area.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Greets patients visitors and/or physicians and provides appropriate assistance. Answers incoming telephone calls to the unit including STATS relaying information as appropriate. Responds to or relays patient call system requests and other alarms as needed. Responds to standard Telemetry phone (as applicable) and relays message as needed. Uses the brown phone during outage. Pages doctors and other disciplines as needed. Monitors and responds to requests for ingress and egress for units with locked access controls.
• Facilitates and prepares for MedConnect Downtime. Faxes orders to pharmacy and other appropriate areas such as dietary and radiology. Transcribes orders to Kardex; prepares MAR and ensures MC downtime forms are complete and ready.
• Enters/updates unit charges into the computer as applicable such as laboratory tests dietary orders etc. Faxes physician paper orders to the Pharmacy as needed.
• Knows basic equipment (printer copier) troubleshooting procedures. Reports to and follows up with BioMed (or outside company) for any repair needs.
• Initiates and completes clerical functions regarding the admission discharge and transfer of patients. Coordinates with the Resource nurse and the primary nurses of patients accordingly.
• Initiates and follows up on requests such as work order requests (engineering electric carpentry IT etc.).
• Files hard copies such as face sheets and paper orders in the appropriate patient medical chart. Thins patient medical chart prepares new chart and facilitates discharged patient's chart to Health Information Management (HIM) department.
• Assists in maintaining unit supplies/equipment by monitoring inventory levels ordering supplies and completing appropriate logs. Maintains unit device inventories as applicable such as telemetry boxes associates' work phones locators handheld devices WOWs. Checks and ensures appropriate unit par items such as O2 tanks chair alarms etc. as applicable. Knows how to manage the Logi-D supply system.
• Uses different electronic systems appropriate for a unit secretary such as MedConnect the Nurse Call system Teletracking PeopleSoft Office Depot. MedConnect - Enters/adds non-clinical orders such as equipments (beds and medical supplies). Determines new orders for review and alerts nurse (discharges stat orders etc.). Runs reports on different quality indicators such as fall risk patients central lines foley catheters flu vaccine etc. Nurse Call - Enters patient-nurse and PCT assignment. Ensures all staff are logged in. Answers consoles and relays message. Checks associates' work phone every shift and assigns to staff. Updates assignments as needed. Teletracking - Checks assignments and admissions/transfers and relays updates to resource as needed. Enters requests such as bed requests transport and item requests. PeopleSoft/Office Depot - Orders unit supply needs for supervisor's approval.
• Cross-covers for other nursing units and gives report to on-coming Unit Secretary or nursing associates at completion of assigned shift. Coordinates with the Resource nurse of the cross-covering unit.
• Maintains a clean organized and efficient work station. Distributes patient mail messages flowers etc. Maintains and coordinates clearing of unit hallways such as beds for pick-up commodes to dirty room calls DES as needed.
• Assists with the orientation and training of new unit secretaries to the unit as directed.
• Maintains daily census/nursing assignment boards and/or nursing assignment information sheets. Posts and updates assignment boards for physicians APPs Respiratory Therapist IV Therapist and other ancillary associates.

Minimal Qualifications

Education

• High School Diploma or GED required
• May require up to l year of technical or other specialized training such as the unit secretary training program at WHC.

Experience

• 6 to 12 months hospital or clerical experience demonstrating good working familiarity with typing/computer keyboarding and medical terminology familiarity required

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Requires the ability to read and write; and knowledge of grammar and arithmetic including fractions and decimals.
• May require the use of standard office/medical equipment (i.e. typewriter personal computer data terminal on-line printer calculator telephone facsimile copier sterilizing equipment blood pressure cuff or tables); the preparation comparison or checking of reports records and related data; and basic use of formulas charts tables drawings and knowledge of their application.

This position has a hiring range of

USD $20.52 - USD $30.88 /Hr.