Free unit clerk job description templates: hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, health unit coordinator, CNA hybrid, and small clinic, plus HIPAA help.
6 free templates across hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, health unit coordinator, CNA hybrid, and small-facility unit clerks, with the HIPAA, OSHA, and FLSA guidance the template farms skip. Download as DOCX.
A unit clerk job description has two things the generic templates skip. First, the title travels under several names: unit clerk, ward clerk, unit secretary, and health unit coordinator are the same role, and the setting (hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, small clinic) changes the details. Second, compliance: a unit clerk handles protected health information every shift, is non-exempt and hourly, and on a patient-care unit can fall under OSHA bloodborne-pathogens rules, and almost no competitor template explains any of it.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the smaller facilities that often hire this role without a dedicated HR department, the independent skilled nursing facility, the single-site urgent care, the small specialty clinic, and we add the HIPAA, OSHA, and FLSA guidance the template farms leave out. The six below cover hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, health unit coordinator, clerk/CNA hybrid, and small-facility versions. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
A unit clerk is the administrative hub of a nursing unit or clinic: admissions and transfers, EHR charts, call lights and phones, scheduling, and supplies. The same role is also called ward clerk, unit secretary, and health unit coordinator (all SOC 43-6013, where O*NET lists unit clerk and ward clerk). It is non-exempt and hourly, pays around a $42,300 median (May 2024), handles PHI every shift (HIPAA), and can fall under OSHA bloodborne-pathogens rules. NAHUC certification is a plus, not a requirement. Download as DOCX.
What a Unit Clerk Does
A unit clerk is the administrative hub of a hospital nursing unit or clinic, handling admissions and transfers, charts and the EHR, call lights and phones, scheduling, and supplies so nurses and providers can focus on patient care. The setting shifts the details, but the coordination role holds.
The role maps to the federal medical secretaries and administrative assistants occupation, which lists unit clerk and ward clerk among its sample titles, an entry-level role that typically needs a high school diploma plus medical terminology and on-the-job training.
Unit Clerk, Ward Clerk, Unit Secretary, and Health Unit Coordinator
These four titles describe the same job, and recognizing that keeps your posting from confusing candidates. They share the same duties, pay band, and federal occupation; the only real differentiator is the optional NAHUC certification associated with the health unit coordinator title.
Unit Clerk
The most common US title
The administrative hub of a nursing unit: charts, admissions, communication, and the front desk. The baseline title across hospitals and facilities.
Ward Clerk
Same role, older term
A synonym for unit clerk, used historically and still common in some facilities. Same duties, same federal occupation (medical secretaries, 43-6013).
Unit Secretary
Common in outpatient
Another synonym, often used in clinics and outpatient settings. The front-desk and administrative coordinator of a unit or clinic.
Health Unit Coordinator (HUC)
NAHUC-certifiable
The more formal title, the same role with an optional NAHUC certification (CHUC). Not a separate profession, just a credentialed version.
Use the Title Your Facility Uses
Pick the title your facility and candidates actually use, then let the synonyms appear naturally in the posting so searchers on any term find you. One genuinely different role often confused with these is the medical records clerk, which sits in a separate occupation focused on coding and health information, not running a unit.
Unit Clerk Duties and Responsibilities
A unit clerk's duties cluster into admissions and patient flow, records and charts, the communication hub, and supplies and front office. The product and pace shift by setting (inpatient unit versus outpatient clinic), but these four areas hold across the role.
Admissions and patient flow
Process admissions, discharges, and transfers
Schedule tests, procedures, and transport
Greet and direct patients and visitors
Records and charts
Maintain patient records in the EHR
Transcribe or route physician orders
Manage referrals, faxes, and document requests
Communication hub
Answer call lights, phones, and the front desk
Coordinate among nurses, physicians, and departments
Relay messages and route requests
Supplies and front office
Order and stock unit supplies
Verify insurance and handle intake paperwork
Keep the nursing station and front office organized
A hospital clerk leans on physician orders and call lights; an urgent-care unit secretary on registration and insurance. For a structured way to scope the role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by setting: hospital for an inpatient nursing unit, skilled nursing for a SNF or LTC facility, urgent care for an outpatient clinic, health unit coordinator for a NAHUC-credentialed role, clerk/CNA hybrid for a combined role, and the small-facility version for an owner-run clinic. Use this guide to choose.
Hospital / Nursing Unit
Inpatient floors
For a hospital nursing unit: admissions and transfers, EHR chart management, call lights, and physician-order coordination, with HIPAA and OSHA notes built in.
Skilled Nursing / LTC
SNF, nursing home
For a small SNF or long-term care facility: resident records, MDS support, supply ordering, and CNA cross-training, with the small-facility compliance basics.
Urgent Care / Outpatient
Clinics, urgent care
For a single-site urgent care or clinic: registration, insurance verification, scheduling, and front desk, with the HIPAA acknowledgment built in.
Health Unit Coordinator
NAHUC certification
The same role with the optional NAHUC (CHUC) certification noted as a plus, for facilities that value the credential.
Unit Clerk / CNA Hybrid
Combined role
For smaller facilities combining clerical work with basic patient care, with the CNA-certification requirement and OSHA exposure noted.
Small Facility / No HR
Owner-run, first hire
The flagship version for a small, owner-run clinic or facility hiring its first or only unit clerk, with the first-hire compliance basics built in.
Match the Template to Your Facility
Inpatient hospital floor: Hospital. SNF or nursing home: Skilled Nursing / LTC. Urgent care or clinic: Urgent Care / Outpatient. NAHUC-credentialed role: Health Unit Coordinator. Combined clerical and care: Clerk / CNA Hybrid. Small owner-run facility: Small Facility / No HR. Whichever you pick, classify as non-exempt and build in the HIPAA acknowledgment.
6 Free Unit Clerk Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: facility overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a compliance note, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets, set the unit and reporting line, and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, health unit coordinator, CNA hybrid, and small facility unit clerk. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Hospital / Nursing Unit Clerk
For a hospital nursing unit: admissions and transfers, EHR chart management, call lights, and physician-order coordination, with the HIPAA and OSHA notes built in.
Compensation: $______ per hour [+ shift differential]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
A hospital unit clerk (also called a ward clerk or unit secretary) is the
administrative hub of a nursing unit: managing the front desk, charts, and
communications so nurses can focus on patient care.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Facility Name] is hiring a Unit Clerk for our [unit] to keep the nursing
station running. You will process admissions, discharges, and transfers,
manage the unit's records in the EHR, answer call lights and phones, and
coordinate communication between staff, patients, and other departments.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Process admissions, discharges, and transfers (ADT)
•Maintain patient charts and records in the EHR [Epic / Cerner / __________]
•Answer call lights, phones, and the nursing station front desk
•Coordinate communication among nurses, physicians, and departments
•Schedule tests, procedures, and transport
•Order and stock unit supplies
•Greet and direct patients, families, and visitors
•Protect patient confidentiality under HIPAA at all times
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Medical terminology and EHR familiarity preferred
•Strong organization and communication under pressure
•Ability to handle a busy nursing station and multitask
•HUC / NAHUC certification or BLS a plus
•Comfortable with confidential patient information (HIPAA)
COMPLIANCE NOTE (read before posting)
The unit clerk role is non-exempt (hourly) and overtime-eligible. The
clerk handles protected health information every shift, so HIPAA training
and a signed confidentiality acknowledgment are required, and OSHA
bloodborne-pathogens training applies on a patient-care unit. This is
general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Facility Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ per hour [+ shift differential]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 2: Skilled Nursing / Long-Term Care Unit Clerk
For a small SNF or LTC facility: resident records, MDS support, supply ordering, and CNA cross-training, with the small-facility compliance basics built in.
Skilled Nursing / Long-Term Care Unit Clerk Job Description
SKILLED NURSING / LONG-TERM CARE UNIT CLERK JOB DESCRIPTION
This is the part the template farms skip, and for a unit clerk it is the part that matters most: the role touches all three big healthcare-employment requirements from the first shift. Four compliance areas belong in the hiring decision.
HIPAA: the clerk handles PHI every shift
The unit clerk works with protected health information continuously: charts, admissions, scheduling, the EHR, and phone messages all involve patient data. Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, anyone who handles PHI must be trained on confidentiality and the minimum-necessary standard, and the standard practice is a signed HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment at onboarding plus periodic refresher training. A small clinic is a covered entity just like a large hospital, so the obligation does not scale down with headcount. Build the acknowledgment and the training into the hire. This is general information, not legal advice.
FLSA: non-exempt and hourly
A unit clerk is non-exempt under the FLSA, an hourly role entitled to overtime at one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The work is routine clerical and coordination work that does not involve the exercise of independent judgment on significant matters, so it does not meet the administrative or executive exemption tests, and typical pay (around $17 to $22 an hour) sits below the salary threshold anyway. The title does not change this. Classify as non-exempt, track hours, and pay overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
OSHA: bloodborne pathogens on a patient-care unit
On a nursing unit or in a clinic, even an administrative role can have potential exposure to blood or other infectious material, which brings the work under OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard. Where exposure is reasonably anticipated, employers must provide bloodborne-pathogens training, an exposure-control plan, and the offer of hepatitis B vaccination. For a pure front-desk role with no exposure, document the exposure determination; for a unit clerk who moves through patient areas or a clerk/CNA hybrid, include the training. This is general information, not legal advice.
Certification: NAHUC is a plus, not a mandate
There is no legal certification requirement to work as a unit clerk. The voluntary credential is the NAHUC Certified Health Unit Coordinator (CHUC), administered by the National Association of Health Unit Coordinators, which recertifies every three years; it signals competence but is not required to hire. The clerk/CNA hybrid is the exception: the patient-care portion of that role does require an active state CNA certification. List NAHUC as a plus, and require CNA certification only for hybrid roles that include hands-on care. This is general information, not legal advice.
For the underlying rules, the HHS HIPAA Privacy Rule governs how the clerk handles patient data, and OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard applies where exposure is reasonably anticipated. Build both into onboarding.
A Small Clinic Is a Covered Entity Too
HIPAA does not scale down with headcount: a five-person clinic is a covered entity under the Privacy Rule exactly like a large hospital. A unit clerk handles protected health information every shift, so a signed confidentiality acknowledgment and HIPAA training are required before the clerk touches patient data, not optional extras. This is general information, not legal advice.
Requirements and Qualifications
This is an entry-level role open to candidates with a high school diploma; medical terminology and EHR familiarity help, and most facilities train on their specific systems. Match the requirements to the setting.
Requirement
What to know
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
Healthcare front-desk or administrative experience a plus; most facilities train
Skills
Medical terminology, EHR familiarity, organization, communication
Certification
NAHUC (CHUC) a plus; CNA required only for clerk/CNA hybrids
Compliance
HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment; OSHA training where exposure applies
Classification
Non-exempt, hourly, with overtime
Match the requirements to the setting. The BLS data covers pay and employment, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
How to Write a Unit Clerk Job Description
A strong unit clerk posting takes shape once you name the setting, classify the role, and build in the compliance the template farms skip. Here is the process the templates are built around.
1
Name the setting and the title
Hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, HUC, clerk/CNA hybrid, or small facility. Use the title your facility uses (unit clerk, ward clerk, unit secretary) and pick the matching template.
2
List the real responsibilities
Admissions and patient flow, records and charts, the communication hub, and supplies and front office, calibrated to your setting.
3
Set qualifications
High school diploma, medical terminology and EHR familiarity, and strong organization. NAHUC certification is a plus; CNA certification is required only for hybrid roles.
4
Handle HIPAA, OSHA, and FLSA
Classify as non-exempt and hourly. Require a signed HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment and training, and OSHA bloodborne-pathogens training where exposure is possible.
5
Set the pay
Benchmark the hourly rate to your region and setting. Most unit clerk pay clusters around a $42,300 annual median, roughly $20 an hour, lower for small clinics.
Unit clerk pay is hourly and entry-level, consistent with a healthcare administrative role, and the closest federal benchmark is the medical secretaries and administrative assistants occupation.
An Hourly, Entry-Level Band
Medical secretaries and administrative assistants had a median wage of about $42,300 a year (roughly $20 an hour) in the May 2024 federal wage data, and the broader secretaries group had a median of $47,460, with the lowest 10 percent under $33,840 (BLS).
Pay aggregators cluster around $19 to $24 an hour for unit clerks, with nursing and hospital settings often on the higher end and small clinics and entry-level roles lower. Note that salary data for this title is muddied by Canadian postings, where unit clerk is a common official term, so treat national averages with care. Because the role is non-exempt, you pay an hourly wage plus overtime over 40 hours in a workweek, so describe the pay as an hourly rate. For a posting, benchmark to your region and setting rather than a single national figure, and include a good-faith range where your state or city requires pay transparency. National compensation surveys are a useful reference for regional and setting detail.
Hiring a Unit Clerk
The unit clerk hire turns on three things the template farms get wrong: recognizing the role's several names, being honest that most demand is large-hospital while the real small-business opportunity is the small facility, and handling the HIPAA, OSHA, and FLSA compliance from day one. Here is what actually matters.
One role, several names: unit clerk, ward clerk, unit secretary, health unit coordinator
Unit clerk is a healthcare administrative role with several interchangeable names, and knowing they are the same job keeps your posting from confusing candidates. Unit clerk is the most common US title; ward clerk is the older synonym; unit secretary is common in outpatient and clinic settings; and health unit coordinator (HUC) is the more formal title used where a facility values the optional NAHUC certification. All of them sit in the same federal occupation, medical secretaries and administrative assistants, where O*NET lists both unit clerk and ward clerk as sample titles. The duties are the same across the names: the administrative hub of a nursing unit or clinic, handling admissions and transfers, charts and the EHR, call lights and phones, scheduling, and supplies, so nurses and providers can focus on care. One genuinely different role often confused with it is the medical records clerk, which sits in a separate occupation focused on coding and health-information management rather than running a unit. When you write the posting, use the title your facility and your candidates actually use, and let the synonyms appear naturally so searchers on any of the terms find you.
Most unit clerks work for large hospitals, so the small-facility version is the real opportunity
The honest picture is that the dominant employer of unit clerks is the large hospital or health system, organizations with their own HR departments and enterprise systems, not the small business a flat-fee tool is built for. That is the reality, and it is worth saying plainly rather than pretending every unit clerk hire is a small-business one. But there is a genuine small-facility segment that the generic templates ignore completely: the independent skilled nursing or long-term care facility, the single-site urgent care, the small surgery or specialty center, and the behavioral health clinic. These employers hire unit clerks (or unit secretaries) too, often as the first or only administrative hire, frequently combined with CNA duties, and almost always without a dedicated HR department to handle the paperwork and compliance. That is exactly where a small facility needs the most help and gets the least from a copy-paste hospital template. The skilled nursing, urgent care, and small-facility versions on this page are written for that case, with the compliance pieces a small clinic actually has to handle built in rather than assumed away.
Compliance is the gap nobody fills: HIPAA, OSHA, and FLSA all apply on day one
The single thing the template farms skip, and the thing that matters most for this role, is compliance, because a unit clerk touches all three of the big healthcare-employment requirements from the first shift. HIPAA comes first: the clerk handles protected health information every shift, so a signed confidentiality acknowledgment and HIPAA training are required, and a small clinic is a covered entity under the Privacy Rule exactly like a large hospital, with no scaling down for size. Then FLSA: the role is non-exempt and hourly with overtime, because the work is routine clerical and coordination work without independent judgment on significant matters, and the title does not change that. Then OSHA: on a patient-care unit, the bloodborne-pathogens standard can apply where exposure is reasonably anticipated, bringing training, an exposure-control plan, and the hepatitis B vaccination offer. None of this appears in a generic unit clerk template, yet each is a real obligation for a small facility hiring its first clerk. Naming the classification, the HIPAA acknowledgment, and the OSHA training in the posting and at onboarding is both more accurate and a genuine risk reducer. This is general information, not legal advice.
After You Hire: Onboarding
The job description is step one, and because the role handles protected health information from the first shift, the onboarding should put compliance front and center. Start with the employment basics: get the offer signed with the hourly rate and non-exempt status, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, and gather tax forms.
Then handle the healthcare-specific setup the role demands: a signed HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment and HIPAA training before the clerk touches patient data, OSHA bloodborne-pathogens training where exposure is possible, EHR access and training on your specific system, and, for a clerk/CNA hybrid, verification of the active CNA certification, the kind of structured start the employee onboarding guide describes. Store the signed acknowledgments and any certifications with the rest of the onboarding documents centrally.
A simple, repeatable onboarding matters here because the compliance paperwork, especially HIPAA, has to be right every time, and the role often turns over. FirstHR supports it directly: an AI onboarding wizard and task workflows so each step is tracked, e-signature for the HIPAA acknowledgment and the offer, training modules for HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens, document management for signed forms and any certifications, and a simple HRIS with an org chart as the facility grows. Because pricing is flat rather than per employee, a small facility pays one rate. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Unit clerk, ward clerk, unit secretary, and health unit coordinator are the same role (SOC 43-6013, where O*NET lists unit clerk and ward clerk).
It is the administrative hub of a nursing unit or clinic: admissions and transfers, EHR charts, call lights and phones, scheduling, and supplies.
The role is non-exempt and hourly with overtime; the title does not change the classification.
Compliance is the gap competitors skip: HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment and training, OSHA bloodborne pathogens where exposure applies, and FLSA non-exempt status.
NAHUC certification is a plus, not a requirement; CNA certification is required only for clerk/CNA hybrid roles.
Pay is hourly, around a $42,300 median (May 2024, roughly $20 an hour), lower for small clinics; most employers are large hospitals, but the real small-business fit is the independent SNF, urgent care, or clinic.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a unit clerk do?
A unit clerk is the administrative hub of a hospital nursing unit or clinic, handling the non-clinical work so nurses and providers can focus on patient care. The duties cluster into a few areas: admissions and patient flow, including processing admissions, discharges, and transfers and scheduling tests and transport; records and charts, including maintaining patient records in the EHR and routing physician orders; communication, including answering call lights, phones, and the front desk and coordinating among nurses, physicians, and departments; and supplies and front office, including ordering unit supplies and verifying insurance. Unit clerks work across hospitals, skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, urgent care, outpatient clinics, surgery centers, and behavioral health. The role is administrative and entry-level, typically requiring a high school diploma plus medical terminology and EHR familiarity, and it handles protected health information every shift, so HIPAA confidentiality is central. This page includes hospital, skilled nursing, urgent care, health unit coordinator, unit clerk/CNA hybrid, and small-facility templates so you can pick the one that matches your setting.
What is the difference between a unit clerk, a ward clerk, a unit secretary, and a health unit coordinator?
They are the same role under different names. Unit clerk is the most common US title; ward clerk is the older synonym and still used in some facilities; unit secretary is common in outpatient and clinic settings; and health unit coordinator (HUC) is the more formal title, often used where a facility values the optional NAHUC certification. All four sit in the same federal occupation, medical secretaries and administrative assistants (SOC 43-6013), and O*NET lists both unit clerk and ward clerk as sample titles for it. The duties, pay band, and classification are the same across the names: the administrative coordination hub of a nursing unit or clinic. The only real differentiator is the health unit coordinator title's association with the voluntary NAHUC Certified Health Unit Coordinator (CHUC) credential, which is a plus rather than a requirement. When you write the posting, use the title your facility and candidates actually use, and let the synonyms appear naturally so searchers on any term find you.
Is a unit clerk exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
A unit clerk is non-exempt, meaning an hourly role entitled to overtime at one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The work is routine clerical and coordination work, maintaining charts, processing admissions, answering phones, and scheduling, that does not involve the exercise of independent judgment on significant matters, so it does not meet the FLSA administrative or executive exemption tests. Typical pay (around $17 to $22 an hour) also sits below the salary threshold for exemption, so the role would be non-exempt regardless. The classification is based on actual duties and the salary basis, not the job title, so calling the role a coordinator or a senior unit clerk does not make it exempt. The standard and safe practice is to classify a unit clerk as non-exempt and hourly, track hours accurately, and pay overtime. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm classification with a professional.
What HIPAA and OSHA rules apply to a unit clerk?
Both apply, and a small clinic is covered just like a large hospital. On HIPAA, the unit clerk handles protected health information every shift through charts, admissions, scheduling, the EHR, and phone messages, so the HIPAA Privacy Rule requires training on confidentiality and the minimum-necessary standard, and the standard practice is a signed confidentiality acknowledgment at onboarding plus periodic refresher training. A covered entity's HIPAA obligation does not scale down with headcount, so a five-person clinic carries the same duty as a hospital. On OSHA, a nursing unit or clinic can bring the role under the bloodborne pathogens standard where exposure to blood or infectious material is reasonably anticipated; in that case the employer must provide bloodborne-pathogens training, an exposure-control plan, and the offer of hepatitis B vaccination. For a pure front-desk role with no exposure, document the exposure determination; for a clerk who moves through patient areas or a clerk/CNA hybrid, include the training. Build the HIPAA acknowledgment and any required OSHA training into onboarding. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a unit clerk need NAHUC certification?
No, there is no legal certification requirement to work as a unit clerk. The voluntary credential is the NAHUC Certified Health Unit Coordinator (CHUC), administered by the National Association of Health Unit Coordinators, which has set professional standards for the role for more than thirty years and recertifies every three years. Certification signals competence and can help a candidate stand out, and some facilities prefer or reward it, but it is a plus, not a requirement to hire. List NAHUC certification as preferred rather than required in most postings. The one exception is the unit clerk/CNA hybrid role common in smaller facilities: the patient-care portion of that combined role does require an active state CNA certification, because hands-on care is regulated. So require CNA certification only for hybrid roles that include direct patient care, and treat NAHUC as a plus everywhere else. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a small clinic or facility hire unit clerks, and is FirstHR a fit?
Yes, though it is worth being honest that the dominant employer of unit clerks is the large hospital or health system, which already has an HR department and enterprise systems. The genuine small-facility segment exists and is exactly where a tool like FirstHR fits: independent skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, single-site urgent care centers, small surgery or specialty centers, and behavioral health clinics hire unit clerks (or unit secretaries), often as the first or only administrative hire, frequently combined with CNA duties, and usually without a dedicated HR department. That is where the compliance and onboarding burden falls on an owner or office manager rather than HR staff, and where FirstHR helps: e-signature for the HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment and the offer, an AI onboarding wizard and task workflows to run a consistent checklist (I-9, W-4, HIPAA acknowledgment, OSHA training, CNA verification for hybrids), training modules for HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens, document management to store signed forms and certifications, and a simple HRIS with an org chart as the facility grows. Because pricing is flat rather than per employee, a small facility pays one rate. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with a payroll provider, and applicant tracking is coming soon.
How much does a unit clerk make?
Unit clerk pay is hourly and entry-level, consistent with a healthcare administrative role. There is no separate federal wage code for unit clerk; the closest match is medical secretaries and administrative assistants (SOC 43-6013), which had a median wage of about $42,300 a year in the May 2024 federal occupational wage data, roughly $20 an hour. The broader secretaries and administrative assistants group had a median of about $47,460 a year in May 2024 (the lowest 10 percent under $33,840 and the highest 10 percent over $76,550), with employment projected to show little or no change through 2034. Pay aggregators cluster around $19 to $24 an hour for unit clerks, with nursing and hospital settings often on the higher end and small clinics and entry-level roles lower. Because the role is non-exempt, you pay an hourly wage plus overtime over 40 hours in a workweek, so describe the pay as an hourly rate. For a posting, benchmark to your region and setting, and include a good-faith range where your state or city requires pay transparency. National compensation surveys are a useful reference for regional detail.
What happens after I hire a unit clerk?
Run a structured onboarding, and because the role handles protected health information from the first shift, put compliance front and center. Start with the employment basics: get the offer signed with the hourly rate and non-exempt status, complete Form I-9 within the first days, and gather tax forms. Then handle the healthcare-specific setup that the role demands: a signed HIPAA confidentiality acknowledgment and HIPAA training before the clerk touches patient data, OSHA bloodborne-pathogens training where exposure is possible, EHR access and training on your specific system, and, for a clerk/CNA hybrid, verification of the active CNA certification. Then orient them to the unit: the workflow, the chart and order process, the phone and call-light system, who to escalate to, and how you handle patients and families. Store the signed acknowledgments and any certifications centrally. A simple, repeatable onboarding matters here because the compliance paperwork (especially HIPAA) has to be right every time and the role often turns over. FirstHR supports it with an AI onboarding wizard and task workflows, e-signature for the HIPAA acknowledgment and offer, training modules for HIPAA and bloodborne pathogens, document management for signed forms and certifications, and a simple HRIS. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, and applicant tracking is coming soon.
