Operating Room Clerk

Operating Room Clerk

Under general supervision, to perform a variety of general and specialized clerical support tasks related to Operating Room (O.R.) functions. The Power of WE: Together, we can make a greater impact. Bringing better care and expanding healthcare services across the community.

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California and includes three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics and 60+ specialty and sub-specialty services. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County.

Because we serve patients throughout multiple hospitals and clinics, you may have to work at different sites. We will meet any obligations we may have when this occurs.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) is a full-service tertiary acute care teaching hospital with 699 licensed beds providing a wide range of specialized services, including Rehabilitation, Burn, Trauma, and NICU. SCVMC was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as #6 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation and #1 in the West and designated as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care, Heart Failure, Stroke, Hip Fracture, and Pneumonia.

O'Connor Hospital (OCH) is a 358 licensed bed acute care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to residents of Santa Clara County. It was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in the county. OCH has grown significantly over the past five years in both its inpatient volume and its Emergency Department visits. Along with these volume increases other ancillary and clinical departments like imaging, lab, pharmacy, and respiratory have seen growth as well.

St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) has been caring for the residents in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical specialties. SLRH has 93 beds, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, SLRH maintains a CALSTAR 2 emergency helicopter base on the premises.

Regional Medical Center (RMC) is a 258-bed hospital that is the main emergency healthcare provider for East San José, treating a wide range of critical and life-threatening conditions for more than 60 years. Since the SCVH integration of RMC effective 4/1/25, RMC has expanded the critical services including Level II trauma, Thrombectomy capable Stroke Center and STEMI care, and has been seeing an increased number of emergency visits and inpatient volume.

Typical tasks include entering daily O.R. schedule into the computer system, distributing the schedule to appropriate units/departments, and updating the schedule as changes occur; entering the O.R. staffing schedule into appropriate computer application and maintaining records; communicating to physician staff any changes to the O.R. schedule; calling appropriate units to prepare patients who are scheduled for surgical procedures; acting as unit receptionist by handling inquiries about patients and giving information with discretionary regard for rules of patient confidentiality and by directing patient families/friend, as needed, to the O.R./Post Anesthesia Care Unit (P.A.C.U.) waiting room; using O.R. intercom system to coordinate clinical needs as directed by physicians or clinical personnel; communicating technical patient care data on a stat basis to and from nurses, physicians/surgeons, operating room technicians, laboratory staff, pharmacists, admitting staff, and other hospital personnel involved with the patient; entering patient supply, time and labor charges for O.R., P.A.C.U., and Anesthesia Department into the computer system for billing purposes; locating, researching and calculating accurate patient charges on miscellaneous supply items and reporting frequently used items to the O.R. Business Manager so that a unique charge number can be established; maintaining department charge master files; reviewing patient complaints regarding incorrect billing in respect to O.R., Anesthesia and P.A.C.U., working directly with the O.R. Business Manager, patient accounts, the patient, and the patients doctors office; verifying and documenting that all O.R. services and supplies are charged to patients accurately by verifying charge documents to schedules/logs; using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) record-keeping code for defining and billing for surgery; maintaining Operating Room departmental logs and filing system; performing related, routine clerical duties as required and establishing/implementing follow-up, procedures as necessary; scheduling and arranging appropriate meeting rooms on request from O.R. management/ professional staff and making provision for necessary equipment and supplies; verifying adequacy of blood units available prior to surgery; reviewing time sheets for sign-in, notes sick calls, verifies daily time sheets for accuracy for O.R./P.A.C.U., and types on-call sheets for all shifts; assisting Storekeeper with record keeping for repair maintenance log; answering the surgery conference telephone line and maintaining the accompanying log; assisting in orienting new employees to clerical systems and procedures in the unit; assisting with supply par-leveling (base line) processes; performing related work as required.

Employment standards include sufficient education, training and experience to perform the above typical tasks and to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge and abilities. Experience Note: A successful candidate would possess one year of clerical, nursing assistant or other patient care work experience six months of which must have been in an operating room setting. Knowledge of general medical and surgery-specific terminology and standard abbreviations used in medical notations; standard hospital organization and services; operating room and inpatient care unit functions and practices; computer operations as they relate to retrieving information from a data base and inputting information; modern office practices and procedures; laws regarding patient confidentiality; appropriate telephone and reception desk behavior and courtesy; basic bookkeeping practices. Ability to carry out oral and written instructions; perform clerical work of above average difficulty; research records to verify patient bills; recognize, pronounce and spell medical terms; make decisions concerning the relative urgency of conflicting priorities while working in stressful circumstances and with multiple distractions; work and communicate effectively with hospital staff, patients and general public.