A Day in the Life of a Receptionist
Do you know what the duties of a receptionist are?
This is a flexible guide as we have to react to circumstances as and when they occur, however this may give you an overview on the day to day role of a receptionist.
7:50 am
- Starting opening up procedures
- Load computers
- Review urgent tasks from the night before
- Getting ready to answer the phones at 8am
8:00 am
- All receptionists are ready at their desks to start receiving telephone calls to book appointments for the day.
9:00 am
Patients start arriving for their appointments. During this time Receptionists are:
- checking patients in;
- booking additional appointments;
- answering the telephone;
- processing repeat prescriptions;
- dealing with queries
10:45 am
Reception team is responsible for preparing paperwork for doctors’ home visits.
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Reception team processes admin tasks
- Pathology and Radiology results
- Digital hospital letters
- New Patient registration forms
- Patients’ queries
2:00 pm – 5:45 pm
This is the beginning of afternoon surgery, patients start arriving for appointments.
During this time Receptionists are:
- checking patients in;
- booking appointments;
- answering the telephone;
- processing repeat prescriptions;
- dealing with queries.
5:45 pm – 6:00 pm
- Locking up procedures according to Practice procedures.
When closed
Whilst the reception closes our website and online facilities remain open 24/7.
These facilities are not fully automated, meaning that responses to queries and completed forms etc start mounting up and need the attention of a receptionist.... when they have time.
Admin duties
Performed throughout the day, any time between 8am and 6pm:
- Urgent queries are received from either patients, GPs, consultants or outside agencies that have to be prioritised
- Answering all the phones
- Repeat prescriptions which can run into well over 200 per day
- Attendance at meetings / training sessions is sometimes mandatory
- Input any relevant information on to patients medical records following recent stays in hospital / outpatients patients/referrals
- Scanning and attaching of all post into patients records
- Check registration forms for new patients
- Review, process and accept subject access requests
- Logging and organising death certificates
- Carrying out instructions sent from GPs, nurses and outside agencies
- Chasing referrals, results, or clinical letters
Published: May 11, 2022
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