Introduction

Hospital Unit Administration evolved from a simple course pack for ADMN 2270: Hospital Unit Administration 1, a third-semester course within the health office administration program at Conestoga College. While this OER was intended to complement this specific course, it may be of interest to any office administration or health services program as a theory resource dedicated to the role of hospital unit coordinator (HUC), or any health-related program looking for an overview of hospital departments, risk management processes, filing resources, or communication resources.^[1]

This resource has several parts dedicated to broad topics of the HUC role in hospital administration:

• Introduction to the role of the HUC
• The role of common hospital staff
• The organization of hospitals (including general, clinical departments, and patient care areas)
• Risk management, staffing, and communication processes within the hospital environment
• Electronic and hybrid hospital records
• Admitting, transfer, and discharge procedures

Note that because of computerized provider order entry (CPOE), the HUC’s role in processing physician’s orders is not covered in this resource.

Interactive H5P Practice Activities and Review Activities are included throughout the OER to supplement and reinforce the learning material. These activities can be attempted as many times as the student wishes without assigning a grade. An Appendix includes a list of common abbreviations used in hospitals. The terms defined in the Glossary also include pop-ups where they appear in the text.

If you encounter any concerns, your suggestions and ideas for enhancements are appreciated. Please contact me at nweatherhead@conestogac.on.ca.

— Nancy Weatherhead