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Ward secretary skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Allison White,

Allison White

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical ward secretary skills. We ranked the top skills for ward secretaries based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 25.0% of ward secretary resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a ward secretary needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 ward secretary skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how ward secretaries use patients:

Initial duties included stocking of medical materials for patients as well as nursing assistance under direct professional supervision.
Transcribe recorded messages or practitioners' diagnoses or recommendations into patients' medical records

2. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how ward secretaries use patient care:

Answered telephone at nurses' station, and helped nursing staff when necessary with patient care and deceased patient.
Interacted frequently with various medical departments on all aspects of patient care.

3. Medical Terminology

Here's how ward secretaries use medical terminology:

Demonstrated an enthusiastic and professional presence by demonstrating proficient use of clerical procedures and medical terminology.
Performed secretarial duties, utilized knowledge if medical terminology.

4. Scheduling Appointments

Scheduling appointments is the practice of finding a free slot with the person(s) you want to meet. The process of scheduling appointments involves finding mutually free time, negotiating follow-ups, sending reminders, and creating new appointments. Scheduling appointments is important to ensure that the timings of consecutive meetings do not clash with each other.

Here's how ward secretaries use scheduling appointments:

Perform Administrative duties such as answering phones, making copies, scheduling appointments and maintaining supplies.
Conducted clerical and administrative functions such as organizing paper and electronic files, generating correspondence, scheduling appointments and answering telephones.

5. EKG

Here's how ward secretaries use ekg:

Operated electrocardiograph (EKG) and other equipment to administer routine/emergency diagnostic tests.
Performed EKG, X-ray and laboratory procedures including urinalysis, hemoglobin count, sedimentation rate and stool for occult blood.

6. Physician Orders

Physician orders are an instruction or a set of instructions given to a patient by a doctor. This could range from being put on bedrest to being given a prescription to fill and take.

Here's how ward secretaries use physician orders:

Transcribed physician orders onto medical records and entered requests into database.
Prepared all urgent test orders, contacted appropriate departments for patient needs per physician orders.

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7. Patient Charts

Here's how ward secretaries use patient charts:

Assembled/disassembled patient charts upon admission/discharge.
Performed tasks required by the doctors; patient charts, phone tasks, and lab works.

8. Laboratory Results

Here's how ward secretaries use laboratory results:

Receive and route messages and documents such as laboratory results to appropriate staff.

9. Computer System

Here's how ward secretaries use computer system:

Enter necessary data in computer systems with urgency and accuracy.
Downloaded scanner information retrieved by Field Service Officers into computer system- analyzed and corrected errors identified in information received.

10. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how ward secretaries use vital signs:

Utilized clerical and medical training to accurately chart vital signs.
Obtain and record vital signs, weights, I & O, blood glucose 5.

11. Emergency Room

Here's how ward secretaries use emergency room:

Keep confidential patient information *Book patient's into Emergency Room after admitting leaves for the night *Help out other units
Stock emergency room with necessary supplies.

12. Telephone Calls

Telephone calls are a communication means through which a caller is connected to the called party. The call is done through a telecommunications device called a telephone. The caller can use a landline, mobile phone, or satellite phone to make the call.

Here's how ward secretaries use telephone calls:

Answer & Screen Telephone Calls * Transcribe Doctors Orders - Ordering Treatments & Updating Charts
Performed secretarial duties including processing and filing of paperwork, responding to telephone calls and completing financial reports through electronic database.

13. EMR

Here's how ward secretaries use emr:

Worked with copiers, faxing and scanning medical documents into the EMR.
Print reports on GE Centricity EMR software for medical records.

14. DR

DR is an academic title used as a designation for a person(s) who already has obtained a doctorate (Ph.D.) in a particular field of discipline. In medicine, DR is used by medical practitioners whose job is to tend to the sick and diseased regardless of whether or not they hold a doctoral-level degree.

Here's how ward secretaries use dr:

Called and made Dr. Appt's for patient dismissal.
Put dr orders in computer.

15. ICU

ICU means intensive care units. It also has a name known as the critical care unit or intensive therapy unit. The ICU handles patients experiencing acute diseases or severe injuries that need specialized treatment procedures by specific professionals.

Here's how ward secretaries use icu:

Key team player in general operation of 3rd, 6th & ICU floors as well as the Surgery department.
Provided Secretarial & CNA support to ICU Department.

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What skills help Ward Secretaries find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What hard/technical skills are most important for ward secretarys?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

In addition to production software skills, including MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, we often taught database skills using MS Access. Every employer has an employee database and a customer/client database that requires input and sometimes maintenance by office personnel. Keyboarding (65+ wpm), basic bookkeeping/accounting, and filing skills are a must.

What skills stand out on ward secretary resumes?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

Knowledge of spreadsheets software such as MS Excel is a commonly sought-after skill. Employers want word processing and spreadsheet skills but often say they want high school graduates and pay accordingly. These skills aren't always taught in high school. Those in the field should seek these skills. Additionally, medical and legal assistants have highly sought after. Terminology courses for these specialized areas are sometimes offered at the vocational schools but are usually offered at the post-secondary level.

What soft skills should all ward secretarys possess?

Allison White

Associate Professor, Ohio University

Employers have told me repeatedly that soft skills are often the most important. They will ask for my reference after I've gotten to know a student and been able to identify their communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. They want someone to take the initiative yet know when to ask questions. Customer service skills and confidentiality were also voiced by our internship supervisors. Verbal and non-verbal communication is a must. The applicant must be able to write well!!

Do you want to know more?

List of ward secretary skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a ward secretary resume and required skills for a ward secretary to have include:

Patients
Patient Care
Medical Terminology
Scheduling Appointments
EKG
Physician Orders
Patient Charts
Laboratory Results
Computer System
Vital Signs
Emergency Room
Telephone Calls
EMR
DR

ICU
Doctors Orders
Office Equipment
Hippa
Front Desk
Direct Calls
Word Processing
Medical Charts
CPR
Patient Transfers
Birth Certificates
Patient Appointments
Medical Orders
Patient Data

Patient Confidentiality
Patient Admissions
HIPAA
ADL
Payroll
Financial Statements
Insurance Forms
Multi-Line Phone System
Medical History
MRI
Software Applications
Medical Facilities
Administrative Functions

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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