What does a Unit Secretary in a hospital do?

Is being a unit secretary for a hospital department a hard job?

• I just got a job as a unit secretary for an adolescent psychiatric unit and I was wondering how hard of a job it is being a secretary for a hospital unit. I have some secretarial ...show more

• Answer:

  Angelia, yes unit secretary can be a very stressful job. i should definitely know because i worked in NICU- neonatal intensive care unit. i had to make orders, pick up the phone, look competent to my boss who was the nurse manager on the floor, make lab slips, call in for stat x-rays, talk with incoming visitors, talk with the meanest doctors who would tell you to make copies of a patient's chart, the list can go on and on. you have a reason to be nervous and trust me i was nervous too. if i could give you some advice that would be to go into work with the mind frame that you can't possibly know everything but you be willing to learn all that you can. know what your limits are and don't let anyone walk all over you. be ready for rude nurses, doctors, and sometimes visitors. but i can say the job is not hard per say. it's common sense stuff but since i worked on a busy floor i would get nervous a lot and i couldn't think straight at times. but after about 5 months i got the hang of it. i was looking up patient's information like a pro and i was becoming fast at what i did. i also worked night shift and day shift so i definitely saw a difference between the staff on day and night. at night, i would do things like hold the babies, feed them, with the supervision of the nurse of course. when i floated to labor and delivery, sometimes i would end up in the labor room with the nurse trying to get the newborn's information.( i saw some weird stuff i tell you) night shift was the best but i couldn't stay up for 12 hours straight. it was too much for me. oh and a second suggestion, learn how to multi-task. when the phone rings and the doctor has a question for you let him know you will be right there with him and make sure you pick up that phone first then answer that question. also, you will definitely need to get a routine. write a routine down and stick to it. when i would come into my shift, i would say hello to everyone, stock supplies, file, put in necessary orders, clean cribs( yes some departments require you to do cleaning),and when an emergency situation came through i would drop everything and focus my attention on that patient. later in the evening i would finish up my routine. just stick to a routine and complete it for that day and you will feel more accomplished for that day. i wish you the best. if you have any questions e-mail me. you will be fine. Before you know it, you will be a pro.