Receptionist

Education and experience

She attended a Secretarial college when she left school aged 16 to learn typing, basic bookkeeping and shorthand. She has been a receptionist at 3 commercial companies and 2 NHS hospitals since then.

Role and responsibilities

Manages the main reception desk at the hospital and the staff rota for reception across the hospital.

Technical skills

Knows how to use Word, Excel and the hospital database (really speedy at navigating around the database). She recently bought a smartphone and is becoming familiar with how to use some of the apps with the help of colleagues and her teenage son.

Subject domain skills and knowledge

She has dealt with a few patients who are prisoners over the years and has observed other staff reactions to prisoner patients. She has an elder brother who was a prison officer until he retired.

Motivation and desires

Wants to do a good, efficient job and get on well with her colleagues and patients.

Goals and expectations

Wants to improve how she communicates with the huge variety of patients she meets at reception every day as she knows she doesn’t always get it right, but isn’t always able to pin down why.

Obstacles to their success

Has an ingrained sense of rules and procedure as her mainstay regarding how to deal with people, partly because that is how she has coped with incredibly busy working environments over the years. Accepts things at face value, does not always delve to find out what might be motivating people to behave in certain ways as she does not want to offend by asking. She was not academically confident at school and has not pursued any academic education since school. Has attended staff training events over the years.

Unique assets

Has built up considerable skill and experience in administrative management of reception, so is regarded by colleagues as a reliable source of information and advice. Is friendly and kind.

Image attribution: Crissy Ocallaghan https://pixy.org/4758909/ CC0 Public Domain