Interview Questions

[Nurse2bNicole, BSN, RN]

I'm going on a job interview next week for a Health Unit Coordinator/Unit Clerk position in the ER. I was wondering if there is anything that your unit clerks do that you think is particularly helpful or anything that I can do that will help me with the interview. I know that ER is a bit different from other areas of the hospital, that is why I am asking. TIA....Nicole

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

This is a position that can be very challenging, but it so important to that unit. You need to be mature enough to handle just about anything you see or hear without taking it personal and without reacting inappropriately. If you indicate some level of maturity in your interview that will be a positive factor. A good unit clerk is flexible, has legible handwriting, can read hieroglyphics, can talk on the phone and do 30 other tasks at the same time. Our UC in the ED are priceless!

[FlyingED]

A HUC in the ED is the pivot point in which all others rotate. You are the hero and the demon all in the same person. Multitasking is an understatement, it is paramount that you hear, see and know everything and maintain a pleasant demeanor. A good HUC is valued beyond belief and bad HUC is crucified. My advice to you is that you look at yourself, noting your skills and personality and think carefully whether you are capable. Also, shadow a HUC multiple times before deciding whether to apply.

Good Luck!

cory

[Owney]

Nichole,

There is no job that teaches you more about a hospital than clerking. A buddy of mine worked in a hospital that required all new nurses to clerk for a week, as part of their orientation. The only thing wrong with any of the clerks that I have worked with is that there never seem to be enough of them.

Only thing I can think of is that you need to be careful that you don't get stuck with being "monkey in the middle." It's easy to be in the middle of phone fights. I usually try to hook up doctors or nurses so that they can talk to each other when they try to put me in the middle. The other thing you'll deal with is phone tag. Somebody pages somebody else to your phone, tells you nothing about who they paged, why, or where they are going and then walks away. There's got to be a warm spot downstairs for those folks.

Good clerks are priceless although they are seldom treated that way. Every difficult shift I ever got through was with the help of the clerk, and I made it a point to always tell them so. If you gave me the choice of a good clerk and almost any nurse I think I'd take the clerk any time.

:kiss

[veetach]

I know one thing, in my dept we cant live without em!! I say go in with self confidence and a positive attitude and it will shine.

Good luck with your endeavors,