How to Train Unit Secretaries Correctly

The importance of a well-trained unit secretary can always be emphasized. The unit secretary performs critical functions that contribute to the overall success of healthcare teams and patient outcomes. Unfortunately, many training programs for unit secretaries are inadequate, leading to confusion, errors, and frustration among unit secretaries and healthcare teams. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of training unit secretaries correctly and provide tips for training them effectively.

Understand the role of the unit secretary.

The first step in training unit secretaries is understanding their roles and responsibilities. The unit secretary is responsible for various duties, including answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, maintaining patient records, processing orders, and ensuring the unit runs smoothly. Clearly define their role and expectations, and ensure they understand their role in the team and the care they provide to the patients.

Tailor your training to the needs of individual unit secretaries.

Not all unit secretaries are equal, and neither are their training needs. While some may require more in-depth training due to their experience level or other factors, new unit secretaries may have different learning needs. Ensure that you tailor their training to their individual learning needs. You can provide classroom-based training, online resources, on-the-job training, and coaching.

Utilize tools to facilitate training.

Training tools can be a valuable asset when training unit secretaries. They can include form templates, process guidelines, and checklists for everyday tasks. Having a range of resources and documentation to support learning provides a quick reference point for unit secretaries in performing their duties and increases their confidence and ability to perform efficiently.

Encourage ongoing learning and development.

Efforts to train unit secretaries should continue even after the initial training is complete. Encourage unit secretaries to learn continuously and develop new skills to stay relevant. This can include attending conferences, workshops, further training, coaching, mentoring, and being involved in professional associations.

Monitor and evaluate training effectiveness.

Finally, it is important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your training program. You can identify areas for improvement and further training by periodically assessing your unit secretary's performance. You can also evaluate your training methods and adjust accordingly to ensure that they align with the current needs and requirements of the unit.

The unit secretary plays an essential role in delivering care within healthcare teams. If a unit secretary's duties are performed correctly, the team's efficiency may decrease, and patient care can be affected positively. Therefore, it is vital to train unit secretaries correctly and support them in developing the skills and knowledge required for their roles. 

Understanding the importance of their role, tailoring their training to their learning needs, providing tools to facilitate the training, encouraging ongoing learning and development, and monitoring training effectiveness will improve the performance of your unit secretary and your healthcare team's overall success.

The Trainer You Get Can Determine Whether You Succeed or Fail (Video)

 

5 More Quick Tips For The Trainer of New Health Unit Coordinators

Last week, I listed 5 tips for the trainer of new Health Unit Coordinators to use.

This week, I'm back with 5 more.

1. As the training is winding down, be there, but be there in the background. If they ask you a question that you know that they know the answer to, do not reply. Let the silence be the answer. Let them use their brain to remember what you've taught them. They're going to need to use it when you are not there.
2. Whatever the reason, always encourage them to be honest with you and the boss regarding any issues.
3. Let them know you are available for them after the training. Give them your personal telephone number or email address.
4. Understand that you may not be a good trainer for them. Your personality or your voice may be harsh, or they may just feel uncomfortable with you.
5. Some trainers set out to sabotage the new HUC for job security. Example: The trainer will intentionally not teach the new trainee everything they need to know. This, in turn, leads the nurses, doctors, and CNAs/PCAs to yell at them. This, in turn, leads to the HUC needing more confidence in their skills. This, in turn, leads them to start to call out. That, in turn, leads to them being let go or quitting. The ball was set in motion by the trainer, who wanted the trainee gone so that they could work more overtime and get more money.

Don't be that person.

To read these and more, you can pick up a copy of Steps To Becoming A Medical Secretary: A Step-By-Step Guide To Working in a Hospital.

5 Quick Tips For The Trainer of New Health Unit Coordinators

I was training a new Health Unit Coordinator, and I'd like some advice for the HUCs who are required to orient the new ones.

As I stated in my booklet Steps To Becoming A Medical Secretary – A Step-By-Step Guide To Working in a Hospital, many new HUCs have no previous experience, and the only requirement they may meet is knowing medical terminology.

And that's not enough.

So here are 5 quick tips for you to remember and pass on.

1. Realize that some new hires are still on edge. They're overwhelmed trying to learn a ton of new information and multitask, so be careful with what you say and how you say it. Also, be willing to defend them against any nurse or CNA/PCA who makes any snide remarks to them. They're super sensitive to anything and everything.
2. Train them the right way first and then teach them the shortcuts.
3. Encourage them to take notes. They will only need to know a ton of information once in a blue moon. A good example: At the hospital where I work, a Case Manager is assigned to a specific department, and the sheet with that information is faxed in the morning. But some days, the fax doesn't go through. Who's the Case Manager for today? How do we get this information? That's the HUCs' responsibility, and they need to know who to call.
4. Teach them to be proactive. Merriam-Webster defines the word proactive as acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes. I'm constantly receiving compliments on how thorough I am and how I know where everything is. It's because I'm proactive.
5. Teach them what is essential and what can wait. Another good example is this: The new HUC had three admissions coming and two discharges going, and she wanted to go to the other side of the hospital to pick up telemetry strips. I had to tell her no because by the time she got back, two of those admissions would have been there, and then she would be rushing to put the charts together and get the new orders in the computer.  

Do you have any suggestions? Share them in the comment section.