Switchboard Operator - Full Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1.___ Operates multiple-line telephone console in order to answer, transfer and relay incoming

telephone calls and place outgoing local and long distance calls.

2.___ Provides approved hospital and patient status information, as well as directory assistance

for outside callers.

3.___ Operates public address system in order to page physicians, nurses and other hospital

personnel upon request.

4.___ Adheres to disaster, emergency, safety and fire policies and procedures in response to

alarms, notices, codes, STAT calls and so forth by notifying appropriate hospital or

outside agency personnel and specifying areas involved.

5.___ Maintains a variety of records including names and locations of physicians on call, patient

information (such as admission, transfer, discharge and condition data), changes in

directory numbers, telephone repairs performed and the like. Takes and relays messages

for physicians.

6.___ Directs patients and visitors to the appropriate areas.

7.___ Responsible for handing out pagers to the patients coming in for services prior to

registration and entering information into the info desk log when serving as the

information clerk.

8.___ Attends and participates in facility in-services and educational programs as required.

9.___ Keeps patient information confidential at all times and conducts him/herself

according to the standards and expectations of the CODE OF CONDUCT.

10._____ Demonstrates age appropriate competency skills and knowledge, displays ability

to perform skills specific to patient population identified in unit specific skill list:

(Mark age specific of patients served in assigned unit)

_____ infant _____child _____adolescent _____adult _____geriatric

(Mark age specific of patients served in alternative units assigned)

_____ infant _____child _____adolescent _____adult _____geriatric

electronic or oral disclosure.

14 “The associate will hold in confidence any and all patient information communicated or stored using any medium including oral communication. In addition, the associate will seek to protect patient information from inadvertent use or disclosure by adhering to hospital and triad Blue Book policies.”

Performs other duties as assigned and/or required.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Formal Training

Recommended high school diploma or the equivalent in order to maintain simple records and logs of calls made, to transmit information orally in the form of simple sentences in order to provide approved patient status information to callers, and to perform non-complex arithmetic calculation when tallying calls for activity reports.

Experience Required:

One to three months on the job experience necessary in order to learn to operate paging, public address and telephone systems, and learn emergency procedures, code system, hospital extensions, departments, names of key hospital personnel and hospital policies and procedures.

Licensure Required:

None required.

Other:

Excellent verbal communication skills necessary in order to communicate effectively with a wide variety of Hospital personnel, patients and outside callers when gathering and exchanging approved information.

Ability to concentrate and pay close attention to detail for up to eighty percent of work time when answering, transferring and relaying incoming phone calls, and maintaining records. Work is frequently performed under pressure.

No exposure to blood and body fluids: Exposure Control Level III

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Normal office environment with little exposure to excessive dust, temperature and the like.

Substantial (up to ninety percent of work time) exposure to excessive noise due to ringing phones from incoming calls, paging personnel and the like.