San Mateo Medical Center is seeking an experienced Surgery Scheduling Specialist for a Full-Time, Extra-help position for the Surgery Department. The Surgery Scheduling Specialist provides technical, complex and specialized administrative support to surgeons and patients scheduled for surgery, which includes interaction with operating room staff and patients; handles multiple competing priorities; interacts with diverse customer groups; handles multiple patient-related tasks such as tracking patient financials to ensure information is correctly entered; and moves patients from the clinic to the operating room, including all pre-operative processes necessary for the patients prior to surgery, pre-op process sheets and clinic schedules, data entry of items into the operative database, financial reconciliation, and post-op order sets, and may have some responsibilities for ordering supplies or equipment.
The ideal candidate for this position will possess excellent communications skills, including the ability to communicate complex medical terminology to a variety of people with varying levels of medical knowledge. In addition, they would possess skills in conflict resolution, and problem solving. The ideal candidate will have the ability to work with challenging patients, and patients who may have a language or communication barrier. This position will require attention to detail, and therefore the ideal candidate will possess strong organizational skills and the ability to multi-task.
NOTE: The ability to speak, read and write in fluent English and Spanish is preferred for this position.
Duties for this position may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Tracking patient financials to be sure they are correctly entered.
- Scheduling patients in the procedure clinic.
- Updating the pre-op process sheet and clinic schedule in the computer.
- Entering data into the operative database.
- Interfacing between the Operating Room and Surgeon.
- Ability to schedule patients using the OR manager program.
NOTE: This Job Announcement was edited on May 16, 2023 regarding the definition of the extra help assignment. This is an extra-help, at-will assignment, paid on an hourly basis. Extra-help hours are dependent on the business needs of the department and therefore work hours may vary from week to week. Extra help employees shall not exceed 1,040 hours of work per fiscal year. Some extra help positions are eligible for benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Extra help employees are not guaranteed permanent status at the end of the assignment.
Qualifications
Knowledge of:
- Medical terminology as related to patient services support work.
- Policies and procedures related to patient services office support and hospital or clinic business office activities.
- Office administrative practices and procedures, including filing and the operation of standard office equipment.
- Basic business data processing principles and the use of word processing or computing equipment.
- Proper form for typed materials.
- Business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.
- Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar and punctuation.
- Record keeping principles and procedures.
Skill/Ability to:
- Perform technical, specialized, complex or difficult patient services office support work.
- Organize, prioritize and coordinate work activities.
- Read, interpret and apply rules, policies and procedures.
- Organize, research and maintain patient and general office files.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
- Compose routine correspondence from brief instructions.
- Make arithmetic calculations with speed and accuracy.
- Use initiative and sound independent judgment within established guidelines.
- Operate standard office equipment, including a word processor, personal or on-line computer, and centralized telephone equipment.
Note: Specific positions may require the ability to type at a rate of 40 net words per minute from printed copy.
Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:
One year of journey level office support experience in a patient services setting.
Application/Examination
If you are interested in being considered for this extra-help position, the following materials must be electronically submitted in a Word or PDF format.
- Cover letter with responses to Supplemental Questions (maximum of 2 pages)
- Resume
Please include the words "Surgery Scheduling Specialist - Spanish-Speaking Preferred - Extra-Help (Open)" in the subject line of email submission. Please submit the required materials electronically via email to:
Vicky Magana, Clinical Services Manager I - Nursing
vdunn@smcgov.org
Supplemental Questions:
1. Describe the training, education, and experience that have prepared you for the position of Surgery Scheduling Specialist. Include your experience working with specialty clinics, surgeons and operating rooms.
2. Describe your experience working with a diverse patient population and explaining medical/surgical procedures to people with varying degrees of familiarity with the medical field. Describe the challenges and the methods you used to be successful. Be specific.
Application materials will be reviewed as they are received, and well-qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Apply immediately. This recruitment is open on a continuous basis and selections may be made at any time within the process.
NOTE: Application materials are only accepted via e-mail. Materials sent via regular mail and/or fax will not be accepted. Submittals that do not include all required elements (cover letter with responses to supplemental questions and a resume) will not be considered.
