Telecommunications Specialist - Telecommunications - Days, Evenings, Nights

PRN (As Needed)

Monday - Friday 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm, 10pm-6am

Weekend and holiday rotation

General Summary

Provides hospital telecommunication service through the operation of a telephone console and support equipment to route incoming and outgoing calls through the use of telephones, pagers, visual paging system, radio or computer to connect communication between visitors, callers, staff, patients and patients' families. May maintain records related to telecommunications (e.g. long distance phone calls, on-call employees, pages). Initiates appropriate response personnel for various emergency (e.g., heart arrest, fire and trauma calls) and disaster situations. Problem solves pager issues for resident staff. Evaluates service complaints and determines corrective action. Initiates requests for telephone service and repair of malfunctioning equipment and maintains related records. Provides outstanding service to all customers; fosters teamwork; and practices fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

• Operator Duties: Answers in coming calls quickly, efficiently and professionally. Treats callers as customers, with respect, dignity and politeness. Provides public information. Trains end users on basic phone features, voice mail and ACD. Performs basic end user device repairs, such as replacing sets, cables, etc., and installing amplifiers. Pages Nursing Supervisor in-house for all calls which require Supervisor interaction. Reassigns residents pagers as requested to ensure all pagers are forwarded to the on-call resident. Maintains Intellidesk database to keep information up to date. Verifies that monitoring equipment and paging terminal are functioning properly at all times Ensures funeral homes sign for deceased patients and receives death certificates. (Gettysburg only) York Hospital operators answer calls for Gettysburg Hospital during emergency situations such as codes red, blue and pink and other emergencies that might arise. Answers for the Gettysburg operators breaks after 3:00 pm daily, weekends and holidays.
• Security Duties: Responds to emergency calls such as heart arrests, trauma and fire following established procedures and protocols. Maintains logs of all emergency calls for nurse reporting. Secures departmental keys and ensures that staff sign for keys they are asking to use. Announces specified Hospital Code calls. Alerts the appropriate personnel when Laboratory, Respiratory and Emergency Department trouble alarms activate. Monitors security tape machine and installs new tapes as needed. Verifies that the Code Blue Panel is operational at all times. Monitors closed circuit security system for IROB building. Maintains car keys for valet parking after hours.
• Answering Service Duties: Maintains on-call lists and contact persons needed in accordance with Hospital policy. Responds appropriately to requests for on-call staff. Types all messages for the day and provides this information to the next shift. Takes physicians phone calls and gives them the messages. Activates physicians pagers if inaccessible by phone. Contacts Crisis Intervention for their patients. Provides first line on-call support for Telco technical issues. Contacts technician when send level support is required.

Common Expectations:

• Demonstrates competency in skills necessary to provide appropriate information regarding patient access to care as determined in the performance standards. Actively supports patients rights.
• Maintains established policies and procedures, objectives, quality assessment and safety standards.
• Provides outstanding service to all customers; fosters teamwork; and practices fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation.

Qualifications

Minimum Education:

• High School Diploma or GED Required

Work Experience:

• Less than 1 year Relevant experience. Preferred
• Previous switchboard experience. Preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal/communications skills.
• Above average verbal skill is required to communicate with the public.
• Required knowledge of basic computer skills.