unit secretaries/ward clerks

Nurses General Nursing

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They want to eliminate these positions in our hospital. Anyone working with a system that does not utilize these support positions?

In my experience a unit secretary can make or break the unit.

Plain and simple as that.

I have usually worked nights and we would often have a secretary until 11pm then we were on our own the rest of the night. On the regular floors (as opposed to the intensive care units) we shared 2 secretaries that covered the entire 650 bed hospital... we would page them on their beeper to help with admissions, but anything else was left up to us nurses to do. Needless to say, a lot of the lesser priority items were left for the day shift secretary to do in the morning, simply because we didn't have time to do everything... The day shift secretary came in never knowing how much work she'd have to do to make up for the 11-7 duties unfinished as well as all the busy work that greeted her normally on her shift. Often aggrivating for them I might add and we night shift nurses felt awful for having to leave things...

My sister recently moved to another state and has accepted a position in a PACU (Recovery Room). Part of the orientation (and she's been a nurse 19 years) was to spend a day or two with the unit secretary learning how to answer phones, order tests, and do all the other varied functions the secretary must do. Mind you, everyone who asks the secretary for something wants their task to be done "first". :chuckle

My sister came home that evening and told us about her day. She said that as they were finishing up, the secretary looked at her and said, "So, would you rather have my job?" and my sister said, "Girl, there is no way on earth I would want your job... I've been a nurse for 19 years and for 18 3/4 of those years I've known how important a good unit secretary is, and the only reason I didn't have the deep respect for the full 19 years was because I was too young and green the first three months as a brand new nurse to truly understand!" Susan went on to tell the secretary and us, her family, that the day was exhausting and that she will always appreciate the secretaries... not that she ever stopped appreciating them mind you!

It's a MISTAKE for any management person to suggest deleting secretaries from our hospitals to save money. OMG! I HATE it that medicine has become a business! Anything to keep the shareholders happy seems to take precedence over everything else. When will it all end?!

Feeling a bit depressed after thinking about it all...

Anaclaire

:o

I was a unit clerk on L&D before I became a nurse and I can tell you it is essential to have a unit secretary it is so busy especially when your floor receives admissions consistently. Unfortunately some hospitals pinch pennies and put that extra load on the nurse and it gets extra hard. They are irreplaceable!!!!!!!

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Our "tech" functions as unit secretary. But she is NOT a CNA. There is a distinction that we never forget. Thank Goodness for her; we adore her and value her contributions.

I don't understand how anyone can justify not having unit clerk, at least on days. Track your med errors and pt. complaints. I bet they increase when the nurses have to provide additional fragmented care.

We work without a secretary 6 P.M. to 7 A.M. without a secretary. We are a angioplasty unit so our census is down on weekends.

We have a seperate nurse patient ratio for weekends/weekdays. So we are taking on one or two more patients. Though it is a lot slower on weekends without the secretary we run into a lot of problems.

When the phone rings, either we don't hear it or else if we hear it...we have to walk up to the desk. (which takes time) Then walk back to where we were after the call. Each nurse does have cordless phones which is nice...we can transfer the call to the desired nurse.

It's also tough with orders. And we are expected to do orders the secretary does and easily knows. But then there's us with no additional computer training. It takes us a while to figure out bed transfers....d/c's...where the secretary takes seconds.

I worked on this unit for 5 years and didn't know when there's a consult to put it in the computer. We have Dr.'s getting made because consults aren't in the computer.

Good luck!! Hopefully the hospital will quickly see the importance of a secretary.

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I'd want to add bless 'em all every one.....Bonnie, Janie, Betty, Annie, Mamie, Kim....and others I can't remember names but I never forget kindness.......oh so many I learned so much from.

Unit secretaries are usually a very cohesive part of any unit! Most I have worked with have been fundamental in helping me be able to provide outstanding patient care. Management who thinks they are expendable have their heads where the sun doesnt shine. Of coorifice most of them do! Have a great day all!

In the facility that I just started working in, the ward clerks are not part of the unit, but part of an administration officer of the day pool from which there are certain ones assigned. I think the clerk should be part of the unit so that they are made part of the team.

Unfortunately, the clerks in this facility are the most unpleasant people to work around, and I sometimes wonder if it isn't because they don't have to actually answer to us.

IMO, the clerk is the one who runs the unit, when you get a good one, that is.

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