Communications Switchboard Operator

Department: 11593 Advocate Christ Medical Center - Communications

Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hours Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: This is a full time day shift position. Start time will be 6:30am-3pm Pay Range: $18.85 - $28.30

Major Responsibilities:

• Ensure effective and efficient operation of paging system, AmCom Answering Service, Alcatel communication systems, and other department related equipment (fax, printers, computer, etc.)

• Process incoming calls for patients, staff, physicians, and public in a courteous and professional manner.

• Process outgoing calls for staff and physicians in a courteous and professional manner.

• Process incoming and outgoing calls on the Doctors Answering Service. Perform board checks to ensure a timely delivery of all messages(physician and office).

• Record and transmit messages for physicians and office personnel on the Doctors Answering Service

• Enter pager blocks for physicians. Enter physician vacation time and on-call information immediately whether on exception scheduler or Remarks.

• Assist patients, staff, and physicians in placing outgoing calls in a courteous and professional manner.

• Place long distance calls for staff/administration in a courteous and professional manner.

• Report all telephone equipment issues to Telecommunications Analyst by way of the Help desk

• Report internal specific phone trouble to repair service to the Telecommunications analysts by way of the Help desk

• Assist in replacement service of patient telephones

Code Team and Emergency Procedures:

• Ensure the code team is dispatched following hospital protocol.

• Notify Cardiac Cath Lab of emergency procedures to be performed on off hours.

• Dispatch cardiac code team for Code Blue's, processing through amcom paging terminal, and announcing over the intercom system. Notify Emergency department when a house doctor isnt available.

Accuracy and Disaster Procedures:

• Ensure accuracy in department procedure during external/internal disasters.
• Monitor bomb threat calls (i.e. taking notes, e.g., time, male/female, tone of voice, accent, etc.).
• Make appropriate notifications immediately following a bomb threat
• Make appropriate notifications for external/internal disasters and accurately log events as they occur.
• Make appropriate notifications when fire alarm is activated
• Make appropriate notifications upon receiving a statement of severe weather
• Make appropriate notifications upon receiving a statement of disturbance in progress

Paging Functions:

• Conduct a wide range of paging functions
• Swap out faulty pager equipment for staff/physicians by using telephone# to American Messaging listed in Amcom. Log all information on pager swaps in pager log book accurately and in a timely manner.
• Page physicians, staff, and family members of patients via public address system and house pagers, and page physicians long range when requested by staff
• Make public address announcements for department meetings and special events, when requested
• Make public address announcements for all emergency situations

Alarm Systems:

• Monitor various alarm systems.
• Monitor all hospital building fire alarms, blood bank refrigerator, medical gas alarms, dietary etc

Patient Information and Department Logs:

• Provide accurate information to patients, staff, physicians, and the public, as requested
• Make appropriate notifications for patient expirations.
• Take messages for physicians, administration, managers, as a courtesy, when necessary
• Accurately provide various general information to patients, staff, physicians, and the public, including , but not limited to; patient room numbers by referring to the AmCom computer system, physician office and service telephone numbers, visiting hours, hospital and professional building addresses, specific department and/or extension numbers to call for specific information or complaints, phone operation and paging instructions, pager numbers, by referring to directories or computer terminal.
• Maintain house physician's pagers, keys for Telecommunications equipment room and physician's call room, and register for sign out and return of all the aforementioned for referral, and to insure accountability for unreturned pagers and/or keys.
• Maintain accurate information in department logs for replacement of patient phones, hard of hearing phones, TDD Units
• Document all emergency information, as received
• Maintain accurate log of telephone system alarms and trouble for repair.
• Maintain accurate log of all Code Blue's for referral, as needed.
• Accurately log all fire alarms, for referral, according to department procedure.

Other Duties:

• Filing of paperwork in the physician answering service files
• Updating the on/call schedules. Contacting the department/physicians to obtain current/upcoming schedules.
• Perform various data entry tasks.

Education/Experience Required:

• High School or equivalent. 1-2 years experience

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Types 30-40 WPM, preferred. Switchboard console operation. Ability to operate a computer terminal.
• Not Applicable.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Ability to process various calls in a courteous, rapid, and professional manner. Ability to maintain composure under stressful, emergency situations. Willing to work flexible hours, weekends, and holidays. Ability to prioritize work flow efficiently and effectively. Ability to sit for extended periods.
• If position has direct patient care or direct patient contact the following lifting requirement supersedes any previous lifting requirement effective 06/01/2015. Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance. For patient lifts of over 35 pounds, or when patient is unable to assist with the lift, patient handling equipment is expected to be used, with at least one other associate, when available. Unique patient lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Addendum: ADDENDUM TO JOB DESCRIPTIONS RELATED TO PATIENT SAFETY

• Report patient safety events and near misses in timely fashion
• Adhere to all behavioral and procedural patient safety practices
• Promote culture of safety through identifying threats to patient safety and intervening to prevent patient harm
• Communicate openly and promote team work
• Report intimidating behavior and other threats to patient safety promptly

Our Commitment to You:

Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more - so you can live fully at and away from work, including:

• Compensation
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammates job
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance
• Benefits and more
• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and
• Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.