HUC Scheduling & Ancillary Department Coordination 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which department is primarily responsible for transporting a patient from the nursing unit to radiology for a scheduled CT scan?
- Radiology department staff only
- Patient Transport Services (Correct answer)
- Environmental Services
- Central Supply
Correct answer: Patient Transport Services
Patient Transport Services is responsible for safely moving patients between departments throughout the hospital.
Question 2: A physician writes an order for a 'social work consult.' What is the HUC's role in this process?
- Conduct the social work assessment personally
- Contact the Social Work department to arrange the consultation (Correct answer)
- Discharge the patient immediately
- Refer the patient to the emergency department
Correct answer: Contact the Social Work department to arrange the consultation
The HUC facilitates consultations by contacting the appropriate department to arrange the evaluation, but does not perform clinical assessments.
Question 3: When a patient is transferred from the ICU to a step-down unit, which department must the HUC notify to ensure the receiving bed is prepared?
- Laboratory
- Environmental/Housekeeping Services (Correct answer)
- Pharmacy
- Radiology
Correct answer: Environmental/Housekeeping Services
Environmental/Housekeeping Services must be notified to clean and prepare the bed in the receiving unit before the patient arrives.
Question 4: A post-surgical patient has a physician order for 'PT evaluation for ambulation.' Which department does the HUC contact?
- Pulmonary Therapy
- Pharmacy Team
- Physical Therapy (Correct answer)
- Pathology
Correct answer: Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy (PT) specializes in evaluating and treating patients for mobility, ambulation, and physical rehabilitation needs.
Question 5: A physician orders a 'nutritional consult for TPN management.' Which department handles this request?
- Pharmacy
- Laboratory
- Dietary/Nutrition Services (Correct answer)
- Central Supply
Correct answer: Dietary/Nutrition Services
Dietary/Nutrition Services manages nutritional assessments and coordinates specialized nutrition support including Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN).
Question 6: A patient needing a portable chest X-ray is on contact isolation. What information is MOST important for the HUC to communicate to radiology when scheduling?
- The patient's age and weight
- The isolation type and precautions required (Correct answer)
- The patient's insurance information
- The ordering physician's pager number
Correct answer: The isolation type and precautions required
Radiology staff must know the isolation type so they can don appropriate PPE before entering the room with portable equipment, protecting themselves and other patients.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the HUC's role when coordinating with the pharmacy department?
- Drawing blood for a medication level
- Sending a physician's medication order to pharmacy for dispensing (Correct answer)
- Administering IV medications to the patient
- Performing medication reconciliation on admission
Correct answer: Sending a physician's medication order to pharmacy for dispensing
The HUC transcribes and forwards physician medication orders to the pharmacy for processing, but does not administer medications or perform clinical reconciliation.
HUC Scheduling & Ancillary Department Coordination 2
Which department is primarily responsible for transporting a patient from the nursing unit to radiology for a scheduled CT scan?