Unit secretaries...do you have them where you work?

[SoulShine75]

I read something earlier about how many hospitals are cutting costs by cutting the unit secretaries and clerks. Is this true where you work and are you able to fit those duties in your already overwhelming schedules? :uhoh21:

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

We have what we call ward clerks but they are the same thing as unit secretaries.

We also have not cut any staff to meet the ratios. We still have our CNA's too.

steph

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

we have clinical secretaries who are cross trained as monitor tech's.

They are not cutting back, in fact, they had just hired another (who did quit, but thats another story)

[labornurse]

I work L/D and we haven't had a unit secretary or ward clerk for years. We do everything that they used to do, plus janitor work, plus labor pt. Not unusual for us to be an hour or two after shift charting.

[AlabamaBelle]

We have unit secretaries in our hospital. I work in Peds ICU and we have an excellent set of 4 secretaries who call PICU "home". A good secretary is priceless when you're really busy. They are not cross-trained as monitor techs or any kind of tech. The Pediatric Division includes 2 regular peds units, one progressive care unit, PICU, NICN, and Neonatal Progressive Care. The secretaries "float" and cover needs and may also have more than one unit. Just let one of the units not have a secretary and all you=know=what breaks loose. They do most (if not all) of the order entry.

I worked as a unit secretary for 8 year prior to becoming a nurse. I managed to work full-time while a student. The job was an excellent one to determine if I really wanted to become a nurse. I had a sense of how nursing really was. I also learned to interact with the docs and other RNs.

Haven't heard of any cuts in this area (or any area of our system). Would go over like a lead balloon.

Cindy, RN

[cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN]

No unit clearks where I work. The tech puts the chart together (it comes up from the ER as a mess of papers in no particular order) and takes off the labs/radiology/diet orders and puts them into the computer and the nurse does the rest.

[SoulShine75]

I use to be a medical secretary for various dr's offices and ambulatory care and I couldn't imagine the nurses , or anyone else, having to do my job too. The phone never stopped ringing and the paperwork never ended.

[mar326]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this question but I'm going to try. Does anyone know where or if there is a web page for a forum for Ward Clerks?

[SmilingBluEyes]

We have certified scrub technicians who also act as unit secretary. They scrub in our csections and tubals and do administrative work when not in the OR.