Unit Clerk - FT Night Shift

Description

General Summary: The Unit Clerk is responsible for the daily operation and follow-through of the unit station, overseeing the implementation of physician’s orders and nursing procedures for the delivery of quality patient care. The Unit Clerk is actively involved in department activities, transdisciplinary team activities, and LifeCare activities to ensure individualized, patient-centered health care for all patient populations admitted to LifeCare Hospital.

Patient Population: Has contact with patients in a clinical setting; understands and demonstrates appropriate behavior when interacting with patients in adult (18-65 years of age) and geriatric (65 and older) populations.

Supervision: Not applicable.

Standard Essential Functions
1. The knowledge and skills necessary to perform the position requirements are demonstrated through the successful completion of competencies established for the position, to include population served and other special needs of patients or customers, served by the department.
2. Adheres to LifeCare policies, procedures, all safety plans, and all standards imposed by regulatory organizations.
3. Regular attendance and timeliness is required.

Job Specific Essential Functions
1. Prioritizes and works independently in organizing the nursing unit station, keeping the station clean and presentable.
2. Ensures call lights and telephones are answered in a timely and courteous manner; ensures messages are recorded and delivered timely.
3. Serves as liaison between physicians, staff members and other departments. Communicates effectively with all members of the transdisciplinary team, patients, families, and visitors.
4. Maintains unit records, logbooks, and unit supplies. Reviews and organizes patient charts with all forms properly identified.
5. Plans/organizes work for assigned shift to properly utilize time, resources, and supplies to ensure that patients receive appropriate quality care.
6. Performs clerical duties related to admissions, transfers, discharges, and deaths to include preparing and transcribing physician orders for verification by the nurse.

Values
• We COLLABORATE: We develop our treatment plans in collaboration with physicians, clinicians, and patient's families.
• We ADVOCATE: We advocate on behalf of every patient and family.
• We RESPECT: We recognize and value the dignity, rights, and resources of each patient.
• We PROVIDE: We provide complex medical care with purpose and compassion.
• We SERVE: We serve as a TEAM with integrity at all levels focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for our patients.

Qualifications

Experience: Six to twelve months of experience in an acute care clinical setting is preferred.

Education: High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Licensure/Certification: Current BLS certification is required. All Unit Clerks must maintain current BLS certification while employed with LifeCare Hospitals.

Physical Requirements:
1. Ability to lift, move, transport and position equipment or supplies/materials up to ten (10) pounds without assistance; or over ten (10) pounds with the aid of mechanical assistance or assistance of personnel.
2. Range of motion and mobility of self by positioning or moving around hospital to include sitting, standing, walking, bending, squatting, stooping, kneeling, crawling, climbing, and reaching.
3. Ability to communicate with patients, families, physicians, co-workers, and visitors to be able to exchange accurate information regarding patient condition and health status. Ability to exchange and express information by means of language and communicate information effectively.
4. Ability to hear the nature of sounds. Ability to detect clinical alarms and conversation. Ability to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
5. Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
6. Ability to monitor/assess performance of yourself to make improvements or take corrective action.
7. Ability to see things at close range and match and/or detect differences between colors, including color and brightness.
8. Ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate to assemble small objects.
9. Ability to keep your hand steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
10. Ability to understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem- solving and decision making. Ability to use scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
11. Ability to identify problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
12. Ability to respond to emergency or crisis in a calm and professional manner as a team member to resolve the crisis or emergency.
13. Ability to work independently and perform routine and detail-oriented tasks. Ability to manage one’s own time.
14. Ability to consider the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
15. Ability to collect and analyze numerical, written data and verbal communication to reach logical conclusions and ability to determine the time, place and sequence of operations or action.
16. Ability to review, assess, record or type data quickly and accurately.
17. Ability to observe and recognize or identify changes in patient’s health status or condition.
18. Ability to perform mathematical equations.
19. Ability to view and operate required equipment.
20. Ability to determine resources needed in order to provide quality patient care.
21. Ability to make independent judgments and decisions.

Environmental/Working Conditions:
1. Category 2 - Infection exposure due to jobs in which required tasks do not normally involve exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues, but may require performing unplanned Category 1 tasks. In these jobs the normal work routine involves no exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues. However, potential exposure may be required as a condition of employment.
2. Ability to work alone or with minimal supervision.
3. Contact with patients, families, co-workers, physicians, and visitors.
4. Ability to work under and handle stress in an appropriate manner.
5. Ability to handle multiple tasks.
6. Ability to work long hours between breaks and meals may be required.
7. Exposure to high, medium, or low noise intensity.
8. Environmental hazards of carpel tunnel syndrome (caused by repetitive, incorrect flexing of the hand and wrist muscles over time), back/neck pain/strain, fatigue, headaches, edema of the feet, impaired hearing, and eye strain.

Machinery/Tools/Equipment Requirements: Ability to operate nursing call system, telephone, fax machine, copy machine, computer, printer, and calculator.