Health Unit Coordinator

Course Info:

Course Introduction

Health Unit Coordinator Level 1 (HUC 1) introduces students to the role of a Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) in today’s healthcare industry and explores the communication, personal, and professional skills required to excel at the job. HUC 1 also covers patient chart preparation, knowledge of nursing units, and management techniques. Students will develop the knowledge and skills to cope with emergencies and implement infection control procedures. This course consists of 20 days (100 hours) of daily, participative learning sessions.

Health Unit Coordinator Level 2 (HUC 2) provides students with effective communication skills and an introduction to the world of psychiatry. Students will develop listening skills, sensitivity to different cultures, assertive behaviour, and knowledge in verbal and non-verbal communication. This course also covers various ethical issues relevant to working in a health unit and provides an overview of mental health disorders. This course also introduces students to doctors’ orders and how to transcribe different types or orders. This course consists of 20 days (100 hours) of daily, participative learning sessions.

Health Unit Coordinator Level 3 (HUC 3) introduces students to various hospital departments and provides the skills to transcribe and process medical orders between hospital departments. HUC 3 covers different procedures such as admission, transfer, discharge, preoperative and postoperative, recording vital signs, and post-mortem. Treatment protocols are also covered in this course. This course consists of 20 days (100 hours) of daily, participative learning sessions.

Course Prerequisites

  • A Medical Office Assistant diploma from Academy of Learning Career College within the last two years, OR
  • A Medical Office Assistant diploma from another accredited institution within the last two years; prospective students may use Credit for Prior Learning:
  • On transcript
  • By challenging courses
  • Exceptions may be considered in consultation with the Healthcare Division

Course Notes

Students are supplied with text books for ongoing reference. In addition to daily quizzes, presentations, individual and group projects, and chapter exams, there is a final exam upon completion of the course. Students must achieve a mark of 75% to successfully complete the course.

Course Breakdown

Level 1

Health Unit Coordinating: An Allied Health Career: Identifying recent changes in the healthcare system, changes in the health unit coordinating industry, and responsibilities of the HUC.

Overview of Healthcare Today: Identifying other healthcare delivery systems and the value of a national interconnected electronic medical record (EMR) system as it relates to a hospital environment.

The Nursing Department: Understanding hospital nursing units, hospital functions, interdisciplinary teamwork, and clinical pathways.

Management Techniques and Problem-Solving Skills for HUC: Understanding management of nursing unit supplies, equipment, and management related to the performance of HUC tasks.

Communication Devices and Their Uses: Identifying and understanding the use of a computer, unit intercom, and voice paging system.

The Patient Chart or Electronic Medical Record (EMR): Identifying guidelines to follow when entering information in a patient’s EMR, supplemental patient chart forms, and methods of correction.

Reports, Infection Control, Emergencies, and Special Services: Identifying incident reports, emergency response codes, and the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).

Level 2

Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Identifying and understanding interpersonal behaviour, communication skills, listening skills, and intercultural communication skills.

Workplace Behaviour: Identifying factors that influence workplace behaviour, work ethics, workplace appearance, and medical malpractice.

Psychiatry (psychopathology of mental disorders): Identifying and understanding psychiatric clinical symptoms and disorders, anxiety disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, mood disorders and depression, and therapeutic modalities and treatment.

Transcription of Doctors’ Orders: Identifying types of doctors’ orders and transcribing them.

Patient Activity, Patient Positioning, and Nursing Observation: Identifying and understanding patient activity orders, positioning orders, and nursing observation orders.

Nursing Intervention and Treatment Orders: Introduction to the respiratory care department, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and dialysis. Understanding intestinal and urinary orders, intravenous therapy orders, and comfort, safety, and healing orders.

Medication Orders: Understanding components of medication orders, controlled substances, and medical stock supply.

Level 3

Laboratory Orders and Recording Telephoned Laboratory Results: Identifying divisions within the laboratory, and introduction to laboratory procedures.

Admission, Preoperative, and Postoperative Procedures: Identifying and understanding admission procedures and reports for scheduled patients, urgent admissions, long-term care, and emergency room.

Discharge, Transfer and Post-Mortem Procedures: Understanding discharge of a patient, autopsy or post-mortem examination, and transfer of a patient.

Recording Vital Signs, Ordering Supplies, Daily Diagnostic Tests, and Filing: Understanding how to file records in a patient’s chart, retrieving diagnostic test results, and ordering supplies for the nursing unit.

  • Program: Healthcare Programs

  • Of interest to: This course is of interest to individuals actively pursuing HUC training as part of their life-long career journey. It is designed to provide the opportunity for students to develop the skills required to offer administrative support within the medical industry.

  • Course aim: Students will gain comprehensive knowledge in the fundamental aspects of the Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) industry.

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