Cooley Dickinson Hospital · 1 week ago
Unit Secretary - SC2
Northampton, MA
Part-time
Onsite
Entry Level
$18.25/hr - $25.38/hr
1+ years expCooley Dickinson Hospital is part of the Mass General Brigham system and has been advancing health care in western Massachusetts since 1886. The Unit Secretary is responsible for performing a variety of administrative tasks related to patient care, including managing communications, maintaining records, and supporting clinical staff in delivering care.
Health CareMedical
Responsibilities
Receive incoming communications and take appropriate action to relay information to the necessary person(s)
Receive and direct Medical Staff, personnel, patients and visitors
Notify patient’s nurse of scheduled appointments
Inform next shift Unit Secretary, Shift Charge Nurse, or Nurse Manager of problems needing attention
Notify Case Management of the need for consultation at the request of physician or nurse
Notify consulting physician, physician’s office, or answering service of need for consultation as ordered by attending physician
Contact religious personnel on behalf of patient as directed by nursing staff, patient or patient’s family
Contact receiving unit when patient is being transferred to assure patient unit is ready
Receive telephone Lab reports, record appropriately, then communicate all phone reports to the appropriate nurse or physician as soon as possible
Communicate problems and information to appropriate persons
Participate in staffing the unit under the direction of the Nurse Manager. Place calls to staff to communicate needs of the unit
Transcribe doctor’s orders onto appropriate records accurately
Report any STAT orders placed or written by physician to the appropriate staff immediately
Enter any written orders into computer
Schedule tests and x-rays around patient’s needs and testing requirements (e.g. timing requirements, procedural protocols, etc.)
Enter diets into computer
Communicate with pharmacy via fax or phone as appropriate
Perform non-clinical duties related to the admission, hospitalization, discharge, transfer, death and leave of absence of patients
Prepare and update patient medical record for each admission
File forms in individual patient’s medical record
Prepare discharged patient’s medical record and review the record for completion of charting, checking for signatures as appropriate
Copy medical records as ordered for patient transfer to another facility
Send patient’s medical record to Medical Records after charting is completed, the chart is checked, and patient is discharged
Retrieve old patient medical records
Prepare appropriate paperwork for patient needs: i.e. surgical packets / Universal Protocol / EMTALA / Medical Necessity form / Discharge
Ensure that appropriate stock items and equipment are available to the unit (this is in conjunction with the Unit Aide if that particular unit has a Unit Aide)
Order and maintain unit supplies. Enter appropriate charges for storeroom supplies for each patient
Contact telephone maintenance for prompt repair if equipment malfunctions or presents a safety hazard and fill out maintenance requisition
Participate in cost containment by efficient utilization of resources
Complete or maintain appropriate forms, records, requisitions, etc
Greet new patients with friendly professionalism and escort patient to room and notify appropriate nurse when needed
Greet and direct visitors to appropriate room and inform them of hospital regulations as appropriate
Issue correct information to patients and families
Respect the dignity and confidentiality of the patient and family
Participate in the orientation of new personnel
Assist in emergency situations as directed
Make trips to other hospital departments for patient and unit supplies (i.e. equipment, blood, storeroom, etc.) and deliver specimens, etc
Set up chart packets (regular and pre-operative)
Make unit rounds to pick up and transport lab slips, census sheets, patient activity sheets, etc (11 pm – 7 am shift)
Functions as patient observer when 1:1 observation for patient safety is required
Delivers meal trays to patients using safe tray passing techniques (verify with RN if NPO, patient going for a test, patient with swallowing issues, etc)
May perform non-clinical tasks as directed by the patient’s nurse
For secretary staff with Monitor Technician (MT) training:
Provides breaks for MT
Maintains competency for arrythmia recognition
Rotates to MT role as needed
Patient Observation Role:
Remain in constant attendance with assigned high risk patient until relieved by shift charge nurse
Maintain safety for patients with suicidal ideation
Immediately notify nursing staff of any unusual circumstances or obtain assistance with any restrained patient who needs attention or assistance
Immediately report any changes in patient’s condition to the patient’s nurse
May interact with patient as directed by the patient’s nurse. This could mean reading the newspaper, magazine or book to the patient, playing cards or talking with the patient
Maintain established hospital and departmental policies and procedures, objectives, confidentiality, quality improvement program, compliance, safety, infection control and environmental standards
Maintain professional growth and development through attendance at seminars, workshops, conferences or in-services, professional affiliations or journals to stay abreast of current trends in field of expertise
Meet annual competency and retraining requirements
Attend meetings as required
Perform other functions/duties as requested
Qualification
Required
High School Diploma or Equivalent required
One (1) to three (3) years secretarial experience preferred
Demonstrated knowledge of medical terminology required
Demonstrated typing skills and computer experience required
Demonstrated interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills required
Demonstrated positive customer service skills and ability to work as a team required
Demonstrated ability to focus and provide attention to detail required
For Unit Secretaries on the Behavioral Health Unit, de-escalation training required within 30 days of hire or transfer into another department
Preferred
Health care experience preferred
Benefits
Comprehensive benefits
Career advancement opportunities
Differentials
Premiums
Bonuses
Recognition programs designed to celebrate your contributions and support your professional growth
Company
Cooley Dickinson Hospital
Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a proud member of Mass General Brigham, is an acute care community hospital and 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves the greater Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Cooley Dickinson Hospital has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2021 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$0.01MKey Investors
Alzheimer's AssociationFlorence Bank
2025-06-25Grant
2024-05-16Grant· $0.01M
Leadership Team
Laurie Lamoureux
Chief Financial Officer
Lynnette Watkins MD MBA FACHE
President and COO
Recent News
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