Patient Representative

DEPARTMENT: PATIENT RELATIONS

FACILITY: Tift Regional Medical Center

WORK TYPE: Full Time

SHIFT: Daytime

SUMMARY:

The Patient Representative serves as a liaison between patient and hospital staff. Assists patients in interpreting hospital policies, procedures, and services. Assist patients in obtaining solutions to problems and concerns. Assist staff in gaining awareness of patients' perceptions of the hospital experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Assist patients in interpreting hospital policies, procedures, and services.
• Assist patients in obtaining solutions to problems and concerns.
• Assist staff in gaining awareness of patient's perceptions of the hospital experience.
• Visits waiting rooms to assist with waiting patients and family and offer explanations for delays.
• Visits with inpatients in the hospital and ICU waiting area and offer assistance upon request.
• Maintains cleanliness in the unit area.
• Communicates patient care concerns to triage or charge nurse.
• Satisfactorily completes the competency checklist to include testing knowledge and skills.
• Addresses patient complaints and forwards to nurse manager as needed.
• Demonstrates the ability to handle confidential information with discretion for the patient, family, and/or co-worker.
• Provides spiritual needs of patients and families by notifying the patient's minister or our minister of the week which is on call.
• Assist in obtaining clothes when necessary for patients who are being discharged or being transferred to another facility when there is no other resource or assistance available.
• Encourages patients who are waiting to maintain an NPO status until the physician evaluates them.
• Effectively uses Language Line and Hospital Interpreter to communicate with patients who do not speak English.
• Notifies Security and Housekeeping as necessary to address issues in the waiting room.
• Offer information and direction to families and patients who need help in finding other departments, parking and other patients.
• Informs patients of wait times and explains delays.
• Ensure that all individuals will be offered access to care regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin or source of payment for care.
• Protects patient's rights treating them with dignity, respect and courtesy.
• Protects patient's valuables as directed in hospital policies and procedures.
• Follows policies related to informed consent, confidentiality, patient rights, and access to chart and advanced directive information.
• Assists families with meals and medications when there is a substantial lack of financial resources.
• Assists families of patients with help in finding a place to stay and any other need they might have during their stay.
• Attends all mandatory in-services and completes CBL's on Net Learning (i.e. Infection Control, Safety, Body Mechanics, and Fire Safety, etc.).
• Reviews bulletin board and emails for updates.
• Attends 80% of staff meetings or reads and initials minutes.
• Supports and adapts to progressive changes in work environment.
• Improves self- knowledge through voluntarily attending continuing education/certification classes.
• Maintains required competency levels as identified in written exams, skills checklists, and skills labs and annual safety updates.
• Accepts and acts upon constructive criticism in order to improve abilities.
• Works as a team player with a positive attitude.
• Conducts self in professional manner and demonstrates the ability to diffuse intense situations.
• Conveys genuine concern for patient, family, health and welfare.
• Keeps abreast of pertinent federal, and state regulations and laws and Tift Regional Health System, Inc. ("TRHS") policies as they presently exist and as they change or are modified.
• Understands and adheres to: TRHS' compliance standards as they appear in TRHS's Corporate Compliance Policy, Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy; and HIPAA and TRHS policies regarding privacy and security of protected health information.
• Demonstrates the ability to perform tasks that meet the age-specific requirements of the persons, patients, vendors, and staff that the employee is charged to interact with as required by the position.
• Offers suggestions on ways to improve operations of department and reduce costs.
• Attends all mandatory education programs.
• Improves self-knowledge through voluntarily attending continuing education/certification classes.
• Maintains required competency levels as identified in written exams, skills checklists, skills labs, annual safety and health requirements as well as service excellence education hours requirements.
• Cross-trains in order to better assist co-workers and to provide maximum efficiency in the department.
• Volunteers/participates on hospital committees, functions, and department projects.
• Manages resources effectively.
• Reports equipment in need of repair in order to extend life of equipment and removes malfunctioning equipment out of service with timely reporting to the appropriate personnel.
• Makes good use of time so as to not create needless overtime.

EDUCATION:

• High School Diploma or Equivalent

CREDENTIALS:

OTHER INFORMATION:

Previous experience in hospital environment is preferred.

Southwell/Tift Regional Health System, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.