Admissions Clerk Responsibilities

Admissions clerk is an individual who works in healthcare and educational institutes. The functioning of both these institutes is largely dependent on the number of admissions. The admissions clerk takes the charge here by helping out the visitors and guiding them into the facility. He provides all the necessary information related to the facility and about the admission process as well.

It is worth noticing that despite being in a clerical position, an admission clerk is given considerable importance. This is because he is the face of the facility/institute.

In a healthcare facility, an admission clerk greets the visitors and records their name and purpose of visit either in a visitor book or a database. He answers the queries of the visitor and provides necessary information regarding the services available in the facility. He schedules appointments of the patients with the doctor and prepare records of admissions. He also collects the payments from the patients and provides discharge papers and receipts of payments.

In an educational institute, the admission clerk performs similar functions of the admission clerk in a healthcare facility. He communicates with the visitors and provides them information regarding the programs available in the institute. He also explains the admission procedure and criteria for all the courses. Occasionally, he may have to interview the prospective students.

Admission Clerk Responsibilities for Healthcare Facility

Admissions clerk in a healthcare facility is responsible for handling the following activities on a daily basis:

• He communicates with the visitors and callers and answers their queries regarding the available services and admission process in the facility.
• He maintains records of the visitors and patients admitted in the facility.
• He circulates the patient records to the concerned staff/departments for reference.
• He calls or meets the person or authorities responsible for the payment of medical bills such as patients family members or insurance company.
• He stores patient's clothes and other belongings and returns to the family or the patient himself upon discharge.
• He escorts patients and visitors to the assigned ward or examination room or arranges for an escort for them.
• He prepares discharge documents and collects payments from the patients or his family.

Admissions Clerk Responsibilities in an Educational Institute

An admissions clerk in an educational institute is responsible for handling the following tasks:

• He provides necessary information regarding the admission process and criteria for all the degree and certificate courses offered by the institute.
• He maintains records of all the visitors and their queries for follow up by the admissions coordinator or concerned authorities.
• He provides brochure and admission forms to the visitors and collects payments.
• He collects the admission forms submitted by the students and verifies if all the columns have been filled. If there is a mistake, he informs the students and instructs them to fill a new form correctly.

• Communication skills: As cliche as it may sound, it is very important for an admission clerk to be a patient listener and an effective speaker. Being in a position where he has to communicate with a lot of people, he should be able to pass the information and instructions clearly.

• Technical skills: An admissions clerk must know how to operate various applications used for record maintenance and communication.

• Organizational skills: An admissions clerk needs to be organized so that he can maintain admission records with the most recent updates in the status of the patient or student. This makes it easy for him and other personnel to retrieve information at later stage.

Additionally, the admission clerk should be able to work under stringent deadlines without losing confidence.

There are no specific educational requirements for this job. Some organizations may prefer individuals with a high school diploma and no work experience, while others may prefer individuals with at least a bachelor's degree and prior experience of working in a clerical position.

Average hourly wages for an admission clerk can be anywhere between $11-$17. Additional benefits such as bonuses, travel allowances, insurance, etc., differ with organizations.

The description given above defines the admission clerk responsibilities for both types of organizations that offer this position.