What Does a Hospital Support Specialist Do?

Whether it’s booking new appointments, updating medical files, or helping patients fill out important forms related to their health care, an astounding amount of clerical work helps keep clinics, hospitals, and family practices across the country running smoothly. All of these clerical duties are managed by a range of hospital support specialists which include medical secretaries, admitting/registration clerks, health records clerks, diagnostic imaging clerks, and even hospital switchboard operators.

If you’re looking for a healthcare career where your interpersonal and organizational skills can shine, read on to learn about some of the key duties of hospital support staff, and how professionals in these careers help doctors keep our country healthy.

Hospital Support Staff Admit and Register Patients

Oftentimes, it’s the hospital support staff who works as a patient’s first point of contact when they seek medical care. Registration clerks with hospital administration diplomas are responsible for answering phones, calling patients to book appointments, following up with patients, and registering patients when they walk through hospital and clinic doors. The caring and warm reception they offer can go a long way to making a patient feel cared for during what could be a stressful time.

Hospital Support Staff Update Medical Records

Students taking hospital administration courses in BC will be well aware of the province’s efforts to digitize medical records, which involves scanning paper records and filing them in an online patient database. By digitizing medical records and maintaining existing paper records, hospital support staff help ensure that doctors are well informed about their patient’s medical histories and are able to provide accurate treatment for them. Any new changes to a patient’s file must be added in accurately and promptly by hospital support staff, who are trained on how to use a variety of computerized health information systems.

Hospital Support Staff Collect Patient Information and Patient Charts

Future clerical staff will learn about key medical terminology, anatomy, physiology and pathology while pursuing their hospital support specialist diplomas. Hospital support specialists may also be responsible for handling diagnostic image files and collecting other patient information efficiently and accurately for patient medical records. Their understanding of medical terms and how they relate to a patient’s care sets them apart from their traditional clerical and secretary counterparts. Booking appointments, registering patients, updating files, managing inventory, and directing test results and patient data to the appropriate staff are crucial tasks that keep our health care system running smoothly. These tasks are carried out by a wide range of hospital support staff that have the training and know-how to make sure that they are completed with precision and care.

Are you interested in pursuing a career in hospital support? Take a look at Stenberg’s Hospital Support Specialist program.