As a new grad entering the job market, you will want to have a good understanding of the various hospital roles in a health care organization before you land your first nursing job. There are many essential health care job categories that help a hospital run smoothly. Let’s take a closer look at each category…
View the infographic version of this blog here.
Category: Nursing
Who’s working here?
RN – Intensive Care Unit
Typical Responsibilities: An ICU nurse provides direct patient care. Their duties include assessing the patient’s condition, administering treatment, and evaluating a patient’s care and needs.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
Typical Responsibilities: CRNA are responsible for administering anesthesia to a patient for surgery. They are responsible for monitoring a patient before, during and after procedures.
Nurse Practitioner
Also referred to as:
• Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP)
Typical Responsibilities: Nurse Practitioners generally focus on a particular specialization. A few of their duties include providing direct patient care to their patients by writing prescriptions, providing medical diagnoses, and ordering diagnostic tests.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Licensed Vocational Nurse/ LVN / LPN
• Perioperative Nurse (Surgical/OR Nurse)
• Oncology Nurse
• Pediatric Nurse
• Orthopedic Nurse
• Geriatric Nurse
• Cardiac Nurse
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• ER Nurse / Emergency Room Nurse
• Neonatal Nurses
• Nurse Midwife
• Travel Nurse
Category: Patient Care Support
Who’s working here?
Nursing Assistant
Also referred to as:
• CNA / Certified Nursing Assistant
Typical Responsibilities: A Nursing Assistant’s duties include nurse support tasks such as obtaining vital signs, assisting with feeding patients, and repositioning patients in their beds when necessary.
Medical Assistant
Also referred to as:
• Certified Medical Assistant
Typical Responsibilities: The Medical Assistant coordinates the care of the patient by escorting patients to their exam rooms or performing vital signs. They also assist in preparing patients for exam and discharge by preparing medical charts and facilitating physician orders.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Hospital Aide
Category: Management & Supervision
Who’s working here?
Director of Quality/Patient Safety
Also referred to as:
• Quality Improvement Director
• Director Quality Assurance
• Director Risk Management
Typical Responsibilities: This team member is responsible for the strategic planning, program development and operations to promote enhanced clinical quality, patient experience, and safety programs and initiatives. Their goals are to ensure high quality and safe clinical performance all while delivering an excellent patient experience.
RN Practice Manager
Also referred to as:
• Nurse Manager
• Practice Administrator
Typical Responsibilities: A RN Practice manager is not typically involved in direct patient care, instead they are responsible for overseeing staff and day-to-day operations. They plan, organize and direct the essential patient care functions of their service area.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Director of Cardiac Services
• Health Care Facility Administrator
• Continuing Education Manager
• Process Improvement Project Manager
Category: Administrative Support
Who’s working here?
Patient Account Representative
Also referred to as:
• Payment Review Specialist
• Patient Service Representative
Typical Responsibilities: A Patient Account Representative is engaged in activities relating to the collection of payment and/or resolution of self-pay balance accounts.
Unit Secretary
Also referred to as:
• Medical Secretary
• Medical Receptionist
• Clinical Administrative Assistant
Typical Responsibilities: A Unit Secretary provides various clerical, administrative, and general office support such as computer order entry, report preparation, record and file maintenance, scheduling meetings, and telephone reception.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Patient Admitting Specialist / Admission Coordinator / Patient Access Services Clerk
Category: Dietary and Environmental Services
Who’s working here?
Cook
Also referred to as:
• Food Service Worker
• Dietary Aide / Dietary Cook
• Kitchen Helper
Typical Responsibilities: A cook in a hospital setting is responsible for preparation of hot and cold food, maintaining department cleanliness, providing customer service and managing inventory.
Housekeeper
Also referred to as:
• EVS Tech
• Environmental Specialist
• Environmental Services Technician (EST)
Typical Responsibilities: A hospital housekeeper is responsible for regular cleaning and general upkeep of patient, public and or office areas, and associated ancillary areas, such as nurse’s station, restrooms, treatment rooms, lounges, etc.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Purchasing Assistant – Dietary
• Food Service Associate
Category: Technicians
Who’s working here?
Monitor Technician
Also referred to as:
• EKG Technicians
• Cardiac Monitor Technicians
Typical Responsibilities: A few of the tasks a Monitor Technician performs include interpreting rhythm strips and dysrhythmias, performing venipuncture and ordering preps and tests.
Pharmacy Technician
Typical Responsibilities: A pharmacy technician is responsible for performing duties related to the purchasing, storage, preparation, dispensing, transcription, delivery, and crediting of medications for patients.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• CPT/Certified Phlebotomy Technician
• Surgical Technician
• Anesthesia Technician
• Instrument Technician
• Radiology Technician
• Treadmill Technician
• Cardiovascular Technician
• Pacemaker Technician
• Mammography Technician
Category: Therapists
Who’s working here?
Radiation Therapist
Typical Responsibilities: The Radiation Therapist delivers radiation therapy to patients as ordered by the physician. They work collaboratively with the front office staff, the radiation oncology nurse, and the physicists and dosimetrist, to ensure every patient is given accurate, precise, and high quality treatment in an emotionally healing environment.
Physical Therapist
Typical Responsibilities: A hospital based Physical Therapist provides care to patients with a wide variety of diagnoses including musculoskeletal, orthopedic, neurological, vestibular/balance, and many others. Work areas include acute care, the acute rehabilitation unit, and outpatient areas both on the main EMC campus and off-site clinics.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Occupational Therapist
• Behavioral Therapist
• Clinical Therapist
• Nutritional Therapist
Category: Specialists
Who’s working here?
LCSW – Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Also referred to as:
• Medical Social Worker
• Social Worker
Typical Responsibilities: Social Workers are responsible for coordinating the complex discharge planning needs of patients and their families, as well as to provide supportive counseling, psychosocial assessment and interventions for patients with complex psychiatric, social, medical and financial needs.
Quality Applications Analyst
Also referred to as:
• Application System Analyst
• IT System Analyst
Typical Responsibilities: A Quality Applications Analyst performs tasks relating to the planning, design, development, build and configuration of analytic functions and quality measures in a hospital’s EMR software.
Other roles in this category include, but are not limited to:
• Physician Assistant
• Information Security Analyst
• Clinical Research Coordinator
• Compensation Analyst
Each role in a hospital serves as a vital puzzle piece that ensures efficiency and quality patient care in a health care setting. At Eisenhower Health, we employ professionals in each of these job categories. Search for your dream job today.
Originally posted on 25/6/2020