Ward Clerk
What the work is
Records and processes information required for admitting and discharging hospital patients, and responds to telephone enquiries.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Welcomes patients and visitors, and directs them to the appropriate person or area
- Prepares and updates patients' medical records and charts prior to admission
- Manages patient administrative information, including payments and insurance details
- Records patient movements, transfers and discharges, liaising with other hospital departments and patient transport services
- Schedules tests or procedures for patients and arranges follow up appointments
- Responds to telephone enquiries and complaints
- Collates all relevant administrative and patient documentation on the ward
- May perform other clerical tasks such as data entry, filing and word processing
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hospital surgical ward with thirty beds and a busy nurses' station. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A patient goes home on time because all their papers were ready
- You find the missing form and the whole ward runs smoother
- A worried family member leaves reassured because you took the time
Hard days
- Three phones ring while someone asks you for directions
- A discharge is delayed because one signature is missing
- Having to say you cannot share something with a person who is clearly worried
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 552231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.