Course Outline
The Nursing Unit Clerk program is designed to prepare individuals to assume the duties of coordinating medical staff, nursing staff and ancillary department activities in the delivery of patient care. Students are provided the opportunity to gain the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to manage clerical and non-clinical tasks. Students are provided with information to familiarize them with the hospital environment, functions of the nursing unit and the role of the Nursing Unit Clerk as a vital member of the health care team.
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This is an intensive 24 week program that requires students to attend 5 days a week. Students are trained in as short an elapsed time as possible, while meeting the standards required by industry bodies and potential employers. The program focuses on the knowledge and skills needed by Nursing Unit Clerks, without any unnecessary program content. It includes extensive hands on training in lab activities at our school and on site at hospital facilities.
There are 19 weeks of Classroom and Lab instruction, followed by a 4 week practicum on site in hospital units, followed by a 1 week wrap-up.
850 total program hours - 700 Classroom / Lab hours, and 150 practicum hours.
Competency will be measured by both written and practical examinations. Practical material will be presented and graded in a competency-based fashion.
Course Descriptions and Hours
Level 1 Courses Medical Terminology, Anatomy, Physiology, & Pathology - 76 Hours
This course is designed to provide students with a basic mastery of medical terminology, within the context Anatomy, Physiology & Pathology. This course provides a real-world grasp of the use of Medical Terminology, particularly as it relates to body systems. Students learn Medical Word Structure, prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviations. The learning process includes a focus on spelling, definitions, and pronunciation.
Fundamentals in Health Care Delivery - 65 Hours
This course introduces students to the BC Health Care system, with an overview of the roles of different medical professions, the major types of medical service providers, and how they work together. The course then focuses on the basic functions, departmental structure, and operational procedures of different types of hospitals that a Nursing Unit Clerk may work in. Particular attention is paid to the function, structure and operation of the specific departments that Nursing Unit Clerks work in, as well as the departments, services and staff members that Nursing Unit Clerks most commonly interact with.
Students are then introduced to the responsibilities of a Nursing Unit Clerk, and the skills and knowledge required to effectively perform these responsibilities. Students also learn about appropriate professional behaviour and deportment, and how important these characteristics are to a Nursing Unit Clerk.
The course also focuses on overall concepts of Health and Wellness, because it is vital for Nursing Unit Clerks and all health professionals to clearly understand that everything they do is intended to improve or maintain the health and wellness of clients.
These themes of Professional Behaviour and Client Health and Wellness are reinforced again and again, in all components of this program.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills - 70 Hours
This course teaches students that communication is the main function of the Nursing Unit Clerk, and instructs them in understanding human behavior, value systems, the elements and components of communication, listening skills, body language, successful telephone techniques, initiating communication, time and stress management, working effectively as a team member, confidentiality, assertive behavior, critical thinking and cultural diversity and a reflections journal.
This course also delves into more detail on the key elements of professionalism:
- Why professionalism is important to patients, employers and health caseworkers.
- Effectively working with others (teamwork, diversity, manners, conflict resolution)
Through lectures, presentations, videos, case studies and other methods, students learn how to effectively communicate with co-workers, visitors, patients, nurses, doctors, and staff from other departments.
Students also learn how to handle complaints and engage in problem solving. Adapting to diverse backgrounds and communication styles, the Nursing Unit Clerk must demonstrate and model empathy and respect for others.
Keyboarding - Self Study (no hours allocated)
Students must type 60 net wpm to successfully pass this program, but the entrance criterion is only 40 wpm. Applicants will be strongly encouraged to get their typing up to 60 wpm before starting, but those who do not must acquire and work diligently with a typing tutor program on their own time. "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing" will be available on campus computers, and will be the tool used to test typing speed on site.
Level 2 Courses
Patient Chart Records - 45 Hours This course introduces the student to the many forms which make up patients' charts and the purpose and use of these forms. Using case study examples and actual forms from the hospital, the learner will create patient charts. The course covers:
- how a patient chart is physically organized
- how the chart is sectioned among the various dividers
- the importance of accuracy and timeliness in maintaining the chart
- privacy, security, and who has access to the patient chart
- legal considerations
- supplemental chart forms
- maintenance of patient records
- use of an addressograph
- filing procedures
Patient Chart Records are a means of communication between the doctor and the hospital staff. They are used for planning and tracking patient care, and for educational purposes. As a legal document the medical record protects the patient, the doctor, the staff and the hospital. It is a history o f patient illnesses, care, treatment and outcomes. Students learn the Rules of Charting: 1 Accuracy . 2. Write legibly . 3 . Do not erase . 4. Write all entries in ink .
Admissions Transfers, Discharges and Deaths - 55 Hours
This course teaches the student to process patient charts and electronic records for admissions, transfers in, intra-department transfers, room transfers, transfers to other hospitals or facilities, discharges, and deaths. Students will simulate these processes through paper records and the Meditech system.
Topics include:
- Obtaining old charts
- Receiving a patient from another unit
- Handling patient valuables
- The differences between scheduled, urgent, direct, elective and emergency admissions.
- Advance directives, living wills and Power of attorney for health care
- Daycare Surgery, Pre-operative reports, and Post-operative reports
- Tasks required to complete a routine discharge
- Transfer of a patient from one unit to another, to another room or another facility
- Clerical responsibilities in case of patient death.
Medical Ethics and the Law - 40 Hours
This course covers the medical ethics and laws that govern the behavior of allied health personnel in patient care. Upon completion of this course, Nursing Unit Clerk students will understand the rules of confidentiality and know how to apply them to the workplace. Topics covered include:
- Patient Consents
- Patient Rights
- Regulation of Medical professionals and how these regulations define what people working in health care can and cannot do
- National Association of Health Unit Coordinators Code of Ethics
- Consumer Rights in Health Care
- Freedom of Information
- Protection of Privacy
Pharmacology for Allied Health Occupations - 60 Hours
This course introduces students to the categories and therapeutic uses of commonly used drugs in the hospital. Students learn basic pharmacological terminology, the brand and generic names of very common drugs, and how to use reference resources look up information about drugs.
There is also a critical focus on the importance of patient safety relating to medications. Information about dosages and automatic discontinuance is stressed.
Transcription of Medication Orders - 60 Hours
Students learn how to interpret information on Physicians' medication orders including dosages, modes of administration and frequencies. The course teaches students about the Nursing Unit Clerk's role in processing medication orders and recording orders. Students learn how to transcribe these orders through hands on simulations, using doctor's orders. Topics covered include:
- Types of orders
- Use of abbreviations and acronyms
- Components of a medication order
- Intravenous (IV) solutions and IV therapy orders. Actual forms and physicians' orders will be used.
- Solving problems with the orders - case studies
At the end of the course, Students will be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills to transcribe orders using the seven steps of order transcription. "Scan the orders, Send the Pharmacy copy, Prioritize, Kardex, Requisition, Symbolize, Flag".
Introduction to the Laboratory - 20 Hours In this course, the student learns about the function and operation of the various laboratory departments. They are then introduced to the role of the Nursing Unit Clerk in processing Lab orders and how the Nursing Unit Clerk interacts with the Lab. Students learn about the different types of specimens that are sent to the lab, and the terminology, abbreviations and acronyms that are used in Lab orders.
Work Safety - 20 hours
This course focuses on the critical issue of safety in the hospital environment, both for the patients and for staff. This course is intended to provide students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to work safely in a hospital environment. Topics covered include: infection control, workplace violence, disaster response, hazardous materials, crash cart, hospital codes, and incident reports.
Level 3 Courses
Transcription of Laboratory Orders - 50 Hours
Students learn how to interpret information on Laboratory orders, and what their role is in specimen collection, sending orders to the lab, recording orders, and receiving results back from the Laboratory. Students learn how to transcribe these orders through hands on simulations on paper and on the Meditech system using doctor's orders. Topics covered include:
- Types of orders (Hematology, Chemistry, Microbiology, Blood Bank and Pathology)
- Use of abbreviations and acronyms
- Components of a laboratory order
- Specimens sent out to external laboratories
- Solving problems with the orders - case studies
Transcription of Diagnostic Orders - 50 Hours
Students learn about the different diagnostic departments in the hospital (including Medical Imaging, Pulmonary, and Electrodiagnostics), how to interpret information on Diagnostic orders, and what their role is in processing these orders, sending orders to the diagnostic departments, and receiving results back. Students learn how to transcribe these orders through hands on simulations on paper and on the Meditech system using doctor's orders. Topics covered include:
- Types of orders
- Use of abbreviations and acronyms
- Components of a diagnostic order
- Solving problems with the orders - case studies
Transcription of Surgical Orders - 70 Hours
Students learn about the different types of surgery performed in the hospital, how to interpret information on Surgical orders, and what their role is in processing these orders. Students learn how to transcribe these orders through hands on simulations on paper and on the Meditech system using doctor's orders. Topics covered include:
- Types of orders (admitting, pre-operative, post-operative, and discharge orders )
- Use of abbreviations and acronyms
- Components of a surgical order
- Solving problems with the orders - case studies
Level 4 Courses
Clinical 1 and 2 - 150 Hours This clinical practicum will provide the student with a real life experience through working on-site in a health care facility while still enrolled as a student. They will be provided with two different experiences of two weeks each to put into practice all of the theory that they have learned in the past twenty weeks. Students work full shifts with an experienced Nursing Unit Clerk who acts as Preceptor, following the Preceptor's work rotation for two weeks. They then transfer to a different unit and Preceptor and follow their schedule for two weeks.
At the end of this practicum experience, students must have demonstrated that they can work successfully and safely as a team member on the Nursing Unit in an acute care hospital, applying all of the knowledge and skills learned in the theory courses.
Regular and punctual attendance is extremely important during the practicum, and missed time must be made up.
Students will keep a journal during the practicum experience, and will also use a skills checklist to keep track of the skills they have been able to practice, and their performance.
Student evaluations are performed by the instructor in consultation with the Preceptors and other members of the Healthcare Team
Post Clinical Assignment and Wrap-up - 35 Hours
Upon completion of the practicum, students return to class for a week to consolidate their learning and to prepare for entry into the workforce. The following topics are covered in this final class:
- Resume preparation and Job Search techniques
- Completion by the student of a report on both practicums based on their journal
- Class review of issues that occurred during practicum, sharing of experiences with the class
- Review of concepts, procedures or technology that students found difficult, where there was some knowledge lacking, or where new procedures were identified that had not been covered in class
- Final assessment of student performance during clinical practicum and the rest of the program
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