BUSINESS SENSE
BY VERONICA COTTER, ON SITE MEDICAL SERVICES, INC.
What to Look For When Hiring A Front Desk Receptionist/Drug and Alcohol Collector
Drug and Alcohol Company Seeks: Front Desk/Drug and Alcohol Collector/Administrative Assistant/Receptionist
Te following are required: • Great personality with sense of humor • Ability to learn new tasks quickly and the willingness to do so • Flexibility in hours and responsibility
Skills: • High School Diploma • Read and write English proficiently • Computer skills a must • Communication skills must be well developed • Ability to multi-task
T
his position/person remains one of the most important and intricate to a small company. It has to be someone that can handle the demands of a small company that caters to a large
and diverse clientele. Tey have to have strong communication skills so that they can understand the street language as well as com- municate results and information to all levels of management. Tey have to have a very good sense of humor as no story goes
untold; six sets of arms is a help as the phone rings, clients are ask- ing questions at the front desk, and all other sorts of activity is go- ing on at the same time. A sense of calm is also important to have, because at any given time there are parolees and probation donors in one corner; case workers and atorneys in the other corner and at the same time, a donor is having a melt down and is refusing to do the court ordered test. Tis special person is responsible for collecting the correct infor-
mation from the donor and insuring that we have the correct billing information for upwards of 200 separate accounts. Tey must pay atention to specific details. Because we provide services rang- ing from drug and alcohol testing, both on- and off-site, medical standbys for tournaments and events, DNA testing, CPR training, health fairs and vaccinations, this person needs to be able to switch between these services, the staff and the donors. Tis is why the person needs 6 arms, 4 ears, 2 phones and 1 fantastic atitude. Your front desk person could also double as a collector. While
the task of collecting a sample in itself is not difficult, it requires more than handing someone a cup. All the clients that come into the office have something important that hinges on the results of the test. Tis ranges from a new job to geting their children returned to their custody. In many cases there is a delicate balance
26 datia focus
to maintain. Clients can present a wide range of emotions from indifferent compliance to outright anger. Te person assisting needs to be able to adapt to the ever-changing spectrum of emotions that walk through the door. Tey need to be sensitive yet assertive and provide boundaries to those clients that are unhappy or combative. Tey have to maintain a no-judgment atitude while remaining firm. When they are doing the collection, they have to correctly ob-
serve the donor through the entire collection process to ensure that all policies and procedures were followed correctly. Tere continues to be updates on the collection process so the collector/receptionist has to be flexible in changing procedures and open to new rules and regulation to follow. When assisting the donor in completing the test, the collector has to have empathy for the donor while main- taining the integrity of the collection and the collection site. And then the fun begins... Donors may say, “that device is not mine,” “I don’t know how
that got in the toilet,” “I have a medical issue,” “I get claustro- phobic when someone watches,” “you have the wrong person as I do not know why I am here,” “I had a test 2 years ago- can you use that one,” or “I take antibiotics but sometimes it shows up as narcotics.” Or, just because the client shows up with their own personal bladder it does not mean that they plan to use their own personal reserve. On the market today, there are a wide variety of methods that those looking to cheat a test can atempt to use, making observation skills a must. Cheating a drug test is both illegal and dishonest while being downright creative, amusing and even comical. Most important is the expertise and skill of the staff as they
deal with the individual. Everyone should always be handled with professionalism regardless of the reasons and situations. Knowing the rules is important in handling the collection. Tis ensures the accuracy of the test, which insures the accuracy of the test results. When you are looking for that right person to be the voice and
face of your company, atitude is everything. When you find the right atitude, you can train the skills. ❚
Veronica Cotter is the president of On Site Medical Services, Inc., in Orlando, FL. She graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Business. Cotter worked for Sheraton ITT in marketing and sales for 15 years in many of their elite properties around the country. She also worked for a medical concierge
company for 6 years before starting her own company in 2000.
summer 2014
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